Norris Tops Oscar Piastri in Brazilian Practice
The British driver has outperformed Oscar Piastri at each of the previous five grands prix.
The McLaren driver narrowly beat team-mate and title rival the Australian for the quickest lap in the final moments of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British racer, who seized the championship lead from Piastri by a single point after winning in Mexico City a fortnight back, beat the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.
Earlier in the session, Piastri had been the leading McLaren throughout the hour before the sprint shootout scheduled for 18:30 GMT.
Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the points battle, sitting 36 points behind behind Norris, finished in P17 as his Red Bull team opted for a unique setup.
Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to crash, if briefly, when he rotated at corner four during the early running.
The Japanese spun out over the track edges before sliding over the run-off area, and was fortunate to avoid just a slight brush of the wall.
The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also spun, at the conclusion of the session, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner approaching the final corner on to the main straight.
Hamilton wrapped up in 19th place, just behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.
The McLaren pair were far ahead of the remaining drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's pace.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Bortoleto in front of Mercedes' George Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
