🔗 Share this article Norris Leads Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session Lando Norris has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the past five grands prix. The McLaren driver edged out fellow driver and title rival the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The British racer, who grabbed the championship lead from Piastri by just one point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Australian by 0.023 seconds. Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for 6:30 PM GMT. Max Verstappen, the only other driver in the points battle, lying with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, was classified in 17th position as his team ran a different programme. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to have an incident, albeit lightly, when he spun at the fourth corner soon after starting. The Japanese lost control over the track edges before spinning across the escape zone, and was blessed to avoid just a slight brush of the fence. The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the conclusion of the session, turning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner leading to the final corner on to the pit straight. The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th place, trailing teammate the Monegasque driver. The McLaren drivers were well clear of the rest of the field, with the German's car in third, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's pace. The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Williams' Sainz.