Norris Wins Wet São Paulo GP as Mercedes Seal F1 Title
Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, mastering a rain-hit race at Interlagos to claim his third victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season, while Mercedes clinched the constructors’ championship with three races still to run.
The McLaren driver, starting from pole position, led 47 of the 71 laps and crossed the line 14.602 seconds clear of Max Verstappen, with the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar completing the podium. Formula 1 reported that the race began wet, dried out, and then caught a late shower that Norris had to navigate before sealing the win.
It was Norris’s second consecutive victory in Brazil, a year after he won the 2025 championship, and it came a week after he lost this year’s drivers’ crown to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in Mexico.
Verstappen climbs from the back
Verstappen produced the drive of the day to finish second. The four-time world champion started 21st on the grid and carved through the field in the changing conditions to claim the runner-up spot, with team-mate Hadjar joining him on the podium for a Red Bull double.
Norris, by contrast, controlled the race from the front. He built a comfortable margin in the opening wet phase, managed the drying track through the middle stint, and held his nerve when the rain returned late on. His winning time was 1 hour 35 minutes 23.504 seconds.
The Associated Press reported that Norris was so excited after the win that his usual champagne celebration went awry, while Brazilian football great Neymar waved the chequered flag.
Mercedes seal ninth constructors’ crown
The bigger prize of the afternoon belonged to Mercedes. George Russell finished fourth and Antonelli fifth, results that were enough to secure the team’s ninth constructors’ championship and its first since 2021.
Mercedes now has 652 points against Ferrari’s 510 and cannot be caught with three rounds remaining. The title completes a double for the team a week after Antonelli, 20, became the youngest drivers’ champion in the sport’s history, clinching that crown in Mexico City with four races to spare.
Antonelli kept fifth despite a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits, having built a gap of nearly 20 seconds over Oscar Piastri in sixth. Mercedes celebrated the title on a separate podium, and team principal Toto Wolff hailed the ninth constructors’ crown in the team’s history — a tally that draws Mercedes level with Williams.
The classification remained provisional after the race, with stewards examining Antonelli’s pit release and contact between Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson.
A big weekend for American sport
It was another dramatic Sunday of sport in the United States and beyond. The Bears beat the Buccaneers 27-24 on a walk-off field goal in Chicago, Winnipeg’s overtime comeback in Montreal stunned the Canadiens, and UCLA’s upset of Arizona shook up the college basketball rankings.
For Formula 1, attention now turns to the United States. The next round is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, scheduled for 20–22 November, with the season then closing amid uncertainty over the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi because of tensions in the Middle East.
What the result means
Norris’s win lifts him to 246 points in the drivers’ standings, while Antonelli leads on 390 and Russell sits on 262. With the drivers’ title already decided, the remaining races will settle the fight for second place and the final order of the constructors’ standings behind Mercedes.
For McLaren, the victory is a reminder of the team’s pace even in a season dominated by Mercedes. Norris has now won three races this year, and his back-to-back wins in Brazil underline how comfortable he is at Interlagos, a circuit where he has now won from pole in successive seasons.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?
Lando Norris won the race for McLaren, finishing 14.602 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, with Isack Hadjar third.
How did Mercedes win the constructors’ championship?
George Russell finished fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth, giving Mercedes 652 points against Ferrari’s 510 — an unassailable lead with three races remaining.
When is the next Formula 1 race?
The Las Vegas Grand Prix takes place on 20–22 November 2026.
