Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
The British driver has outscored his teammate at each of the last five race weekends.
Lando Norris narrowly beat fellow driver and title rival the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who seized the points lead from his teammate by a single point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before sprint qualifying due at 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the only other driver in the points battle, sitting with a 36-point deficit Norris, was classified in 17th place as his team opted for a alternative strategy.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to have an incident, albeit lightly, when he rotated at the fourth corner early in the session.
Tsunoda spun out over the exit kerbs before sliding over the gravel trap, and was blessed to get away with just a light touch of the fence.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the very end of the practice, turning around through the high-speed Mergulho turn before the last turn on to the pit straight.
The veteran finished practice in P19, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren drivers were well clear of the rest of the field, with the German's Sauber in third, over half a second slower than Piastri's pace.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.
