🔗 Share this article

The McLaren driver edged out fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the quickest lap in the dying seconds of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by one point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.

Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren for most of the session before the sprint shootout set to begin at 18:30 GMT.

The Red Bull star, the other racer in realistic title contention, lying 36 points behind Norris, finished in P17 as his Red Bull team opted for a different programme.

Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, though minor, when he spun at corner four soon after starting.

The Japanese lost control over the track edges before sliding over the escape zone, and was blessed to escape with just a minor contact of the fence.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the conclusion of the practice, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho corner before the final bend on to the start-finish straight.

The veteran wrapped up in P19, trailing team-mate the Monegasque driver.

The McLaren pair were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car P3, 0.619 seconds off the Australian's time.

The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Williams' Sainz.