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Lando Norris just pipped fellow driver and title rival Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the dying seconds of the practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who seized the title advantage from Piastri by just one point after winning in Mexico City recently, outpaced the Melbourne-born driver by a tiny margin of 0.023secs.

Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before the sprint shootout due at the evening session.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, sitting 36 points Norris, finished in 17th place as his team ran a different programme.

Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the sole competitor to crash, though minor, when he lost control at Turn Four during the early running.

The Japanese lost control over the curbs on exit before sliding over the escape zone, and was lucky to avoid just a light touch of the wall.

The Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton also spun, at the very end of the session, rotating twice through the quick descending Mergulho corner before the final bend on to the main straight.

The veteran ended the session in 19th place, just behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.

Norris and Piastri were far ahead of the other competitors, with the German's car P3, 0.619secs behind Piastri's best.

The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto in front of the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine's Gasly and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.