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Lando Norris narrowly beat team-mate and championship contender Oscar Piastri for the quickest lap in the final moments of practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

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

Before then, Oscar Piastri had been the quickest of the McLaren pair for most of the session before the sprint shootout scheduled for the evening session.

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

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

The Japanese spun out over the exit kerbs before sliding over the gravel trap, and was blessed to avoid just a slight brush of the barrier.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also lost it, at the very end of the practice, turning around through the quick descending corner approaching the final bend on to the main straight.

Hamilton finished practice in 19th place, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren pair were far ahead of the rest of the field, with Nico Hulkenberg's car third fastest, 0.619 seconds off Piastri's pace.

The Aston Martin of the Spanish driver was fourth fastest, with the Sauber of Bortoleto ahead of the Mercedes of Russell and the Alpine of Gasly and Williams' Carlos Sainz.