Norris Edges Out Piastri in Sao Paulo Practice Session
The British driver has outscored Oscar Piastri at each of the past five race weekends.
The McLaren driver edged out team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the closing stages of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Norris, who grabbed the title advantage from his teammate by just one point after winning in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by 0.023 seconds.
Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before sprint qualifying scheduled for the evening session.
Max Verstappen, the other racer in realistic title contention, lying 36 points Norris, ended up in 17th place as his team ran a alternative strategy.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, albeit lightly, when he rotated at the fourth corner during the early running.
Tsunoda lost control over the track edges before spinning across the escape zone, and was blessed to get away with just a minor contact of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the conclusion of the practice, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner before the final bend on to the pit straight.
Hamilton finished practice in 19th place, one place behind teammate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car in third, 0.619 seconds slower than Piastri's pace.
Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was in fourth, with Sauber's Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
