Norris edges Piastri in first practice at Brazilian GP

SAO PAULO (AP) – Four races, three drivers, two sprints and the world title on the line.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen resume their fight in Formula 1 this weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Norris, coming off a win in Mexico City, leads the driver standings by one point over Piastri.

“I’m feeling good and looking forward to being back out on track. Bring it on,” Norris said.

He topped the first practice over Piastri on Friday while Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was third. Verstappen finished 17th.

Piastri has struggled lately; he’s winless in five races and has not reached the podium since Monza in Italy two months ago when he finished third.

“For me it doesn’t change anything now that the championship order is a bit different,” Piastri said. “I’ll be trying to just go as fast as I can and take the same risks that I normally do.”

Piastri won seven of the first 15 grands prix and built a 104-point lead over defending champion Verstappen, who has closed the gap to 36 points behind Norris, the closest he’s been to the leaders since May.

“We just try to do everything we can until the end,” Verstappen said. “It’s 36 points, still a decent gap. At one point when you are over 100 points behind and we are still talking about being in this fight, that is very impressive.”

Verstappen knows how to win in Brazil after victories in 2019, 2023 and 2024, when he fought from 17th at the start.

The Dutchman has shown great poise at the Interlagos circuit, a track featuring climbs and drops with changes of gradient. The middle sector has slow corners where aerodynamic downforce can make the difference.