🔗 Share this article Norris Edges Out Piastri in Brazilian Practice Session The British driver has beaten Oscar Piastri at all of the past five grands prix. The McLaren driver narrowly beat fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the quickest lap in the dying seconds of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Norris, who took the points lead from his teammate by one point after his victory in Mexico City two weeks ago, beat the Australian by 0.023 seconds. Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the leading McLaren during the running before the sprint shootout scheduled for 6:30 PM GMT. The Red Bull star, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, lying 36 points Norris, was classified in P17 as his team opted for a different programme. Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, though minor, when he rotated at corner four during the early running. The Japanese lost control over the curbs on exit before sliding over the gravel trap, and was fortunate to escape with just a minor contact of the barrier. Ferrari's the seven-time champion also lost it, at the conclusion of the practice, rotating twice through the fast downhill corner approaching the final corner on to the start-finish straight. The seven-time champion finished practice in P19, trailing team-mate the Monegasque driver. The McLaren drivers were well clear of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, 0.619 seconds behind Piastri's pace. The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto fifth from Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Sainz.