🔗 Share this article

Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after his victory in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, topped the Australian by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.

Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver during the running before sprint qualifying scheduled for 18:30 GMT.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the points battle, trailing with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in 17th position as his team opted for a alternative strategy.

Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to go off, if briefly, when he spun at Turn Four early in the session.

Tsunoda lost control over the track edges before rotating through the escape zone, and was lucky to get away with just a slight brush of the fence.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a spin, at the very end of the session, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho corner approaching the final bend on to the pit straight.

Hamilton wrapped up in P19, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the rest of the field, with the German's car third fastest, 0.619secs slower than Piastri's pace.

Aston Martin's the Spanish driver was in fourth, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.