Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix after an incident-packed race at Interlagos, including a remarkable comeback for Max Verstappen who finished in second having started in 21st place.
Kimi Antonelli, the newly crowned world champion, struggled with tyre problems to make it to fifth place but with his teammate George Russell fourth it was more than enough to ensure Mercedes sealed the Formula One constructors’ world championship.
Norris delivered a strong drive at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace to complete an impressive win, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar third, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri sixth. Lewis Hamilton, on his 400th grand prix having taken a grid penalty for an engine change, made it to ninth place from 20th on the grid for Ferrari, with his teammate Charles Leclerc seventh.
Antonelli had led for the opening phase of the race having beaten Norris off the line but had issues with his car after his first pit stop, which appeared to be due to an imbalance in tyre temperatures, during which he went off track twice – the type of difficulties with which the Italian has not struggled all season. It allowed Norris into the lead from where the British driver was all but untouchable, across a range of wet and dry conditions with consummate control. Russell drove well but for a spin on exiting the pit lane which was costly.
In clean air out front the McLaren had immense pace that allowed Norris to dictate, even as there was late tension when rain swept the track in the final 10 laps, causing a flurry of pit stops for wet rubber. The track was treacherous but Norris had its measure to the flag, where he finished with a 14-second lead.
Verstappen had taken a full raft of new engine components that meant he had to start from 21st and making it up to second ranks among his best comebacks on a track where he has already delivered some mighty performances. In 2016 he came back from 16th to third in the wet, last year he also took third after starting from the pit lane and in 2025 he won from 17th on the grid. He showed similarly sharp decisiveness and touch to come through the field, making it up to second by just past the halfway point.
The result ensured that Mercedes have sealed their ninth constructors’ title and their first drivers’ and constructors’ double since Hamilton took the championship in 2020. They needed to outscore second-placed Ferrari by just three points in Brazil and comfortably closed out the championship.
The achievement is the culmination of a what has been a remarkable season for the team, dominant for the opening half of the year, having developed both the best car and the best engine for the complex new regulations of 2026, an advantage which they made the most of with the team winning the opening six races of the year.
They have since taken 12 wins in total with Antonelli scoring nine and Russell three from 20 meetings.
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McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull developed their cars strongly to come back at them, with all three taking wins but Mercedes remained operationally strong and continued to maximise their return, even given they were nor bringing upgrades at the same rate as their rivals. Reliability has been their only real weakness, perhaps to be expected given the new regulations and will be something the team can be expected to address going forward.
For Norris and McLaren the victory represents a real result, delivered with impressive precision as the final set of upgrades they brought to this round, notably the front wing, appear to have paid off. Norris had shown great pace in qualifying with pole and proved that the car had similar form in race pace.
It is his third win this season, his second win in a row Brazil and the 14th of his career. Another affirmation that while the title is gone, he is still determined to make a decent fist of every opportunity and that with wins still on the table, McLaren can still be in the fight with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari and will be buoyed with this performance as they look to 2027.
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