McLaren driver Lando Norris won a rainy Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday, while fourth- and fifth-place finishes from George Russell and Kimi Antonelli secured Mercedes its ninth Constructors’ Championship. Norris led 47 of the 71 laps at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brazil, crossing the finish line in 1:35:23.504 to collect 25 points.
The victory at Interlagos is Norris’s third win of the 2026 campaign, adding to his earlier triumphs at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix, and marks his second straight victory in Brazil after winning the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar joined Norris on the podium in second and third, finishing 14.602 seconds and 24.485 seconds behind the McLaren driver, according to Formula 1.
How Mercedes Sealed the Constructors’ Crown
Mercedes locked up the 2026 Constructors’ Championship with three rounds remaining on the calendar, ending a five-year wait for the team trophy. Starting seventh, Russell climbed to fourth (+33.991 seconds) for 12 points, while Antonelli started second and brought his car home fifth (+36.017 seconds) to add 10 points.
Both Mercedes drivers had to recover from mid-race setbacks in the shifting wet-dry-wet conditions. Antonelli held the lead early before Norris closed the gap following a pit stop, and the 20-year-old Italian spun from first place at Turn 1 after reporting a potential issue. Russell also survived a spin that nearly blocked the pit lane after a key stop, RacingNews365 reported, before recovering to fourth.
“It was a very strong beginning of the season that got us over the line,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said after the race, as reported by the Associated Press. “I never thought this was ever possible.”
As background, the team title completes a 2026 championship double for Mercedes just one week after Antonelli earned the drivers’ crown at the Mexico City Grand Prix on November 1, where his third-place finish behind Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton made him the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Verstappen’s Charge From 21st and Hamilton’s 400th Start
After Norris took pole with a 1:27.470 qualifying lap, Sunday’s race featured two major recovery drives from the back of the grid. Verstappen started 21st after taking multiple grid penalties for power unit changes, slicing through the field in the rain to take second place and 18 points.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who became only the second driver in Formula 1 history to reach 400 race starts, took similar power unit penalties and started 20th. Hamilton worked his way into the top 10 to finish ninth, one lap down, earning two points.
Behind the top five of Norris, Verstappen, Hadjar, Russell, and Antonelli, five other drivers scored points at Interlagos:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) finished sixth (+56.475 seconds, 8 points).
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) finished seventh (+73.586 seconds, 6 points).
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) finished eighth (+75.402 seconds, 4 points) after starting third.
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) finished ninth (1 lap down, 2 points).
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) finished 10th (1 lap down, 1 point) after starting fourth.
It was a tough afternoon for the two Brazilian drivers racing in front of their home crowd. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto started 19th and finished 16th, while Haas rookie Rafael Camara dropped from 11th on the grid to finish 20th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was the race’s lone retirement in 21st, and Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas did not start.
Formula 1 heads next to the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 21–22, followed by the Qatar Grand Prix on November 29 and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 6.