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Lando Norris just pipped team-mate and championship contender the Australian for the top spot in the dying seconds of the practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The British racer, who seized the title advantage from his teammate by a single point after taking the win in Mexico City a fortnight back, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.

Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the fastest McLaren driver for most of the session before the sprint shootout scheduled for the evening session.

Max Verstappen, the other racer in the points battle, lying 36 points Norris, finished in 17th place as his team ran a different programme.

Verstappen's team-mate the Japanese driver was the only driver to go off, if briefly, when he rotated at the fourth corner soon after starting.

The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before rotating through the escape zone, and was blessed to get away with just a slight brush of the wall.

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

The seven-time champion wrapped up in P19, one place behind team-mate the Monegasque driver.

Norris and Piastri were well clear of the other competitors, with the German's Sauber in third, 0.619 seconds off the Australian's time.

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