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Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the top spot in the final moments of practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Norris, who seized the championship lead from his teammate by a single point after his victory in Mexico City recently, topped the Melbourne-born driver by a mere 0.023s.

Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair during the running before sprint qualifying due at the evening session.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in the championship fight, sitting with a 36-point deficit behind Norris, finished in 17th place as his Red Bull team opted for a alternative strategy.

Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the sole competitor to have an incident, though minor, when he lost control at Turn Four soon after starting.

Tsunoda slid over the curbs on exit before rotating through the gravel trap, and was lucky to escape with just a minor contact of the barrier.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the very end of the session, spinning around through the fast downhill Mergulho corner before the final bend on to the main straight.

The seven-time champion finished practice in 19th, just behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.

The McLaren drivers were well clear of the other competitors, with Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber P3, 0.619secs slower than the Australian's time.

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