Lando Norris Edges Out Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
Lando Norris has outscored his teammate at all of the previous five grands prix.
Lando Norris narrowly beat team-mate and title rival the Australian for the top spot in the final moments of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Norris, who grabbed the championship lead from his teammate by just one point after taking the win in Mexico City two weeks ago, topped the Australian 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 sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, trailing 36 points behind behind Norris, finished in P17 as his team opted for a different programme.
Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to have an incident, albeit lightly, when he lost control at corner four early in the session.
Tsunoda spun out over the exit kerbs before sliding over the escape zone, and was blessed to escape with just a light touch of the barrier.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also had a spin, at the very end of the session, turning around through the fast downhill Mergulho turn approaching the last turn on to the main straight.
The seven-time champion ended the session in 19th, trailing team-mate the Monegasque driver.
Norris and Piastri were well clear of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber P3, over half a second behind Piastri's pace.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was in fourth, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.