Lando Norris wins rain-affected Sao Paulo GP as Mercedes secures ninth Constructors' title
McLaren driver Lando Norris won the rainy Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on November 8, 2026, while Mercedes clinched the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, both in Red Bulls, completed the podium.
Norris, the 2025 Formula 1 champion, started from pole and led 47 of the 71 laps in a race stopped and reshaped by changing weather, with Neymar waving the checkered flag. He briefly ceded the lead to new F1 champion Kimi Antonelli before regaining it after the Italian spun, and it was Norris's second consecutive victory in Brazil.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell finished fifth and fourth respectively, results that secured the constructors' crown for Mercedes — its first since 2021 and its ninth overall. Mercedes celebrated the title on a separate podium and now have 652 points against Ferrari's 512 and cannot be caught, team principal Toto Wolff said: “It was a very strong beginning of the season that got us over the line,” and “I never thought this was ever possible.”
Antonelli was summoned by the stewards over an unsafe release but retained his finishing position after a 5-second penalty, having finished more than 20 seconds ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Antonelli, who clinched the drivers' championship last weekend, reflected on his race: “I'm very disappointed for the race. I'm very angry to be fair, but I'm going to put all this aside for now because the team clinched the title.”
Norris described the contest as finely executed: “It was one of my best races in terms of execution,” and “It was a race where things could easily change.” He added later: “The main thing today was to keep it cool,” after collecting his third win of the season, though his customary podium Champagne celebration ended with the bottle shattering in his hands and Norris leaving the podium holding the neck of the broken bottle; he drank only Champagne from his rivals during the celebrations.
Max Verstappen recovered from a grid penalty to take his Red Bull from 21st to second after changes to his power unit, saying: “When you start that far back, you need to try to get by as quickly as you can,” and noting that two years ago he won at Interlagos after starting from 17th. Lewis Hamilton also started from the back due to car changes, finished ninth and became the second F1 driver to reach 400 starts after Fernando Alonso; Hamilton said: “We had a strong start and the team did a great job but overall it wasn't the race I'd hoped for,” and that he and Charles Leclerc had resolved their Mexico incident after a conversation in Sao Paulo.
Brazilian drivers had mixed results: Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th and Haas rookie Rafael Câmara, who stood in for Esteban Ocon, was 20th. Variable conditions forced tactical rethinking as parts of the circuit risked aquaplaning; Bortoleto said: “Starting from the back didn't make things easy for me, especially in the wet, where overtaking was challenging with the power limitations,” and added: “Now, a week to recharge and we move on to the next one, still in the fight.”
The next race on the calendar is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 21, 2026, with uncertainty remaining over the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi due to tensions in the Middle East.