Drivers' title settled but Sao Paulo weekend extends F1 intrigue

New world champion Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this weekend with the drivers' title already decided, the BBC reported on 6 November 2026. The constructors' championship may be wrapped up on Sunday, yet team conflicts, upgrades and changing form guarantee ongoing storylines for the remaining races.

The season has split into two distinct phases: Mercedes dominated the opening third, winning seven of the first eight races, while the following part of the campaign has seen Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull take turns at the front. Out of the past 12 races Mercedes have won six, Red Bull three, McLaren two and Ferrari one. Only the early signs of a competitive pecking order have emerged in Sao Paulo, with Antonelli and Lando Norris in an upgraded McLaren initially appearing in good shape in Friday practice. Charles Leclerc trails Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 14 points in the drivers' championship.

Tensions inside Ferrari are a central subplot after Hamilton and Leclerc collided on the first lap in Mexico, an incident that cost them a likely one-two and allowed Max Verstappen to win. Hamilton had said the team had "big problems" and needed "serious talks", and a meeting on Thursday evening involving Leclerc and team principal Frederic Vasseur was held after they returned to Brazil. Vasseur said on Friday: "It went well. It was good to discuss. It was good to clarify our positions and now we turn the page." He added: "The message was clear and will stay clear. Overall it is true that they are working for the team and the team has to come first. It's clear we failed and we have to react but the meeting was a clear reminder that Ferrari comes first."

Hamilton has been vocal about how he sees on-track behaviour and team dynamics, saying: "We could have easily had a one-two and so we definitely have to work towards making sure that doesn't happen again." He also said: "Of course, there's some times you say things and maybe you might regret it afterwards, but I don't. "I've never apologised for being authentic and real. And I'm not going to be silenced. I have not been asked to not say anything. And that's just the way it is. "I wear my heart on my sleeve and I say how I feel in the moment." On development work he warned he would keep pushing, saying: "I'm in the process of working with the head of aero, the head of aerodynamics to make sure that we hold on to the goodness of the car we have this year and fix some of the small, subtle things that could be better."

Red Bull have gained momentum late in the season and Verstappen benefited directly from the Ferrari clash in Mexico, that victory being his third in four races. Verstappen said: "It's a big surprise to be second in the championship, but we take it," and described the team response to early-season problems: "We had a lot of difficulties as a team in the beginning. The car was not where we wanted it to be. Probably also we still had to learn quite a bit from the power units, and I think we really learned a lot throughout the season." The fight for the runners-up positions is tight: "The battle for second place is tight - Verstappen is just two points ahead of Hamilton, who is nine clear of Russell, who has a lead of five over Leclerc." For the constructors there are only 17 points between Red Bull and McLaren and the article notes there is "in the region of $10m on the line."

McLaren have cut a large part of their early-season deficit and brought upgrades to Sao Paulo; Lando Norris was fastest in first practice in Sao Paulo on Friday. Norris said: "I certainly feel like the last few weekends, the pace has not been too bad on Sundays," and added that small gains from upgrades could improve qualifying and race chances. The team accept they compromised their 2026 campaign to secure last year's title and have identified inherent car issues they believe can be rectified: "too-short gear ratios, too much drag, a smaller than ideal wheelbase."

On paper there are three races remaining after Brazil — in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi — but the Gulf rounds face uncertainty because of the war in the Middle East. MotoGP, owned by the same US group that runs F1, is in Qatar this weekend as a test event and "personnel there have been issued with a rather alarming set of instructions for how to behave in the event of a missile strike." The deadline for a decision is looming and "F1 has been talking to governments and security experts" as organisers seek assurances before confirming the final calendar.