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Lando Norris edged out fellow driver and championship contender the Australian for the fastest time in the final moments of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Norris, who took the championship lead from his teammate by one point after winning in the Mexican Grand Prix recently, outpaced the Australian by 0.023 seconds.

Until that point, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair throughout the hour before sprint qualifying scheduled for the evening session.

Max Verstappen, the sole remaining contender in realistic title contention, trailing 36 points behind behind Norris, ended up in 17th position as his team followed a different programme.

Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was the only driver to have an incident, albeit lightly, when he lost control at the fourth corner soon after starting.

Tsunoda slid over the track edges before spinning across the gravel trap, and was fortunate to get away with just a light touch of the wall.

The Ferrari of the seven-time champion also lost it, at the conclusion of the session, rotating twice through the fast downhill Mergulho turn leading to the final corner on to the pit straight.

The veteran finished practice in 19th, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren drivers were significantly quicker of the rest of the field, with the German's Sauber in third, over half a second behind Piastri's pace.

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