Lando Norris achieved his third victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season in an action-packed, mixed weather conditions race at Interlagos. Mercedes finished fourth and fifth, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli respectively, to secure the constructors’ championship.
After reclaiming the lead from his world champion successor Kimi Antonelli early on when he spun off, polesitter Norris fended off Max Verstappen’s latest Brazil comeback in a race which both started and finished in the wet, bookending a dry moment.
Having survived a scare on the laps to the starting grid when he slid onto the grass at the tricky Turn 12, Antonelli picked off polesitter Norris for the lead into Turn 1 as the race started in intermediate conditions. Third-place starter Liam Lawson also followed the Mercedes through into second place.
Fernando Alonso lost the most places, dropping down six positions by going wide at Turn 3. Lewis Hamilton went the opposite direction, gaining ten places to move into P11, while Verstappen jumped to P13 after both drivers had started at the back of the grid with power unit penalties.
As Antonelli built a five-second gap to Lawson and Norris, Hamilton and Verstappen soon found each other, with Hamilton starting to struggle on worn rear tyres. The seven-time world champion could not follow Verstappen past Oscar Piastri and into the top ten, the Ferrari being passed by Aston Martin’s Alonso instead.
Hamilton requested his team to bring him in for slicks and eventually got his wish on lap 15 of 71, being the first driver to make the switch. His immediate speed on the dry weather tyre resulted in a series of pitstops across the grid as the entire field switched to softs as well, Antonelli and Verstappen waiting one lap longer than the other frontrunners.
After that shuffle, Antonelli kept the lead from Norris, Isack Hadjar and comeback hero Verstappen, who both made their way past Lawson. Russell, however, lost out by spinning in the pitlane exit, although lucky to escape damage but dropped behind Piastri and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Antonelli came under increasing pressure from Norris, reporting a problem with the suspension that made his car pull to one side. That became apparent in dramatic fashion as he spun off the track in Turn 1, giving Norris the lead but was able to rejoin.
Antonelli’s handling issues continued as Red Bull duo Hadjar and Verstappen worked their way past into the podium positions, with Hadjar waving Verstappen by on lap 38.
After dropping five seconds behind Hadjar, Antonelli was able to recover in fourth with a healthy gap to Piastri, Lawson, Russell and Hulkenberg, while neither Ferrari driver able to make much progress from the middle of the pack.
From starting at the rear, Verstappen was in second place just after halfway stage of the race, with a nine second gap to race leader Norris. Verstappen made the decision to do a second pitstop on lap 46 for a new set of softs, while Hadjar was determined to making it to the flag without stopping again.
As a light drizzle hit the track with 23 laps to go, McLaren went ahead with a second pitstop to softs for Norris. Hadjar abandoned the one-stop plan with a pitstop on lap 51 in response, leaving Antonelli in the lead as Mercedes decided to gamble on heavier rain or a safety car. But with the newly crowned world champion losing over a second per lap, Mercedes soon abandoned that idea with a lap 54 pitstop for new slicks.
As strategies merged again, Norris continued matching Verstappen as he defended a seven-second gap, with Hadjar another eight seconds in third.
But the weather changed and it rain again on lap 62, which caused a mass move to intermediates within the space of two laps, Norris and Verstappen both going in on lap 63 as Hamilton survived a spin on slicks right before pitting.
Norris controlled the tricky final laps to take his third win of the season, with Verstappen settling for second 14 seconds behind the McLaren driver, while Hadjar third another nine seconds behind.
Russell was fourth ahead of Antonelli, both cars overcoming late issues to earn Mercedes its ninth constructors’ championship, its first since 2021.
Piastri was sixth for McLaren ahead of Leclerc and Lawson, who continues fighting for his Formula 1 future with Racing Bulls but was unable to keep Leclerc behind in the final laps.
Like Leclerc, Hamilton was unable to sustain a comeback as he settled for ninth, with Hulkenberg taking the final point in P10 despite a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Rafael Camara finished P20 and last on his home debut as Esteban Ocon’s replacement, as Lance Stroll retired in the Aston Martin. Valtteri Bottas did not make the start due to a cross-threaded right-rear wheel nut on his Cadillac.
So congratulations to Lando Norris winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and Mercedes for the constructors’ title. The McLaren driver delivered the result for Papaya while the Silver Arrows deserved the constructors’ championship thanks to the W17 car.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix, race results:
1 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:35:23.504
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford +14.602s
3 Isack Hadjar Red Bull-Ford +24.485s
4 George Russell Mercedes +33.991s
5 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +36.017s
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mecedes +56.475s
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford +75.402s
8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +78.586s*
9 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +1 lap
10 Nico Hulkeberg Audi +1 lap
11 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford +1 lap
12 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda +1 lap
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes +1 lap
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes +1 lap
15 Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes +1 lap
16 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1 lap
17 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari +1 lap
18 Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari +2 laps
19 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes +2 laps
20 Rafael Camara Haas-Ferrari +2 laps
Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda DNF
Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari DNS
*Post-race five-second time penalty for causing a collision
Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen to victory in a thrilling wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Mercedes clinched the 2026 Constructors’ Championship.
Norris claimed his third win of the season during Sunday’s 71-lap race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, which began wet and dried out before the McLaren driver had to navigate a late rain shower, eventually claiming victory by 14.6 seconds after starting from pole.
Verstappen climbed to the podium from P21 on the grid during a frenetic Grand Prix, as team mate Isack Hadjar made it a double podium for Red Bull.
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth, the latter having spun twice – once even before the start – after leading early on, but with the result enough for Mercedes to claim the title.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was P6 ahead of Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver passing Liam Lawson on the penultimate lap after the Racing Bulls driver had run second in the opening laps.
Lewis Hamilton finished P9 on his 400th Formula 1 start, the Ferrari driver reaching the points after starting P20 and also suffering a spin, with the top 10 completed by Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi.
Arvid Lindblad just missed out on the points for Racing Bulls but finished clear of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and the two Alpines of Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.
Alex Albon was P15 for Williams, ahead of Brazilian home hero Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Ollie Bearman (Haas), Sergio Perez (Cadillac), Carlos Sainz (Williams), and Rafael Camara who finished P20 on his F1 debut for Haas.
Lance Stroll retired once again mid-race for Aston Martin, while Valtteri Bottas was wheeled off the grid before the start due to an issue with his Cadillac.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-beats-verstappen-in-wet-sao-paulo-gp-thriller-as-mercedes-win-constructors-championship.7JN7MXLZf5lk5l0C3gfKGI
Lando Norris was thrilled to be able to give McLaren “a little bit of reward for their hard work” by winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which marked his and the team’s third victory of the season.
Although the Briton started from pole position on the damp track, he quickly lost places to Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson, but recovered well to move up to second place and set his sights on the race lead.
As the surface dried out, Norris was amongst the first to switch from intermediate to slick tyres, giving him a clear advantage in terms of grip when he returned to challenge the Italian for first place.
A spin for Antonelli opened the door for him to sail back through, and he maintained the position amid more rain and another round of pit stops to cross the line over 14s ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
“It was a very tough race – very, very tough,” Norris reflected. “Obviously, not the best of launches off the line, but a lot of challenges today, obviously, with the conditions.
“Going onto slicks in the wet is always tough, especially when you’re pushing for the lead and trying to catch up a little bit.
“The main thing today was I just kept it cool and I didn’t make any mistakes. I had the pace when I needed to, so it was good. Nice to be back on the top step, and what a place to do it as well.”
McLaren had slightly dropped away from the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull in recent rounds, but upgrades introduced at Interlagos seemed to provide the boost required to get back in the mix.
While Norris had looked strong throughout Free Practice, his skills in the wet made the difference in both Qualifying and the Grand Prix, leaving him grateful he was able to maximise every opportunity over the weekend.
Norris said: “We’re trying, you know. I’m trying my best, and I think this weekend we had an opportunity to get pole yesterday, we had an opportunity to win.
“I feel like most times this year, when there’s been an opportunity, I went for it and we’ve been able to achieve it. So I have to say a big thanks to the team because they’re still working very hard.
“It’s annoying when you can’t give them a good result back, like the last few weeks. But certainly this weekend, I feel like we’ve been able to give something back to them and give them a little bit of reward for their hard work. So always a big thanks to them, and we have to keep pushing till the end of the year.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/i-just-kept-it-cool-norris-delighted-to-give-something-back-to-mclaren-with-sao-paulo-win.5nqTdIq8oTW6NDdnwWBSdi
Following the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, which was convincingly won by outgoing world champion Lando Norris, several drivers still have to pay a visit to the stewards post-race.
Kimi Antonelli and a Mercedes representative were required to appear before the stewards at 4.30pm local time over an alleged unsafe release. Mercedes released Antonelli just as Alpine driver Franco Colapinto was approaching, meaning the Argentine also has to give his side of the story.
Even if Antonelli receives a 10-second penalty, it will not affect his finishing position. The youngest world champion in F1 history has a margin of more than 20 seconds over Oscar Piastri, meaning his fifth place appears safe.
The Italian did endure a difficult race at Interlagos, however, which began with an excursion off the track on his way to the grid. Several more moments followed at Turn 1 during the race, after which Antonelli told race engineer Peter Bonnington that there was ‘something wrong’ with the car. At that point, however, Mercedes was still primarily looking at Antonelli’s tyre temperatures on slicks.
Despite the difficult race, Mercedes has secured the constructors’ championship, the team’s ninth constructors’ title.
The fact that the title was decided in Brazil is partly down to a very difficult Sunday for Ferrari, and things could theoretically get even worse for the Scuderia.
Charles Leclerc has also been summoned to the stewards, in his case for potentially causing a collision. The incident occurred in the closing stages of the race, when Leclerc made contact with Liam Lawson just before the uphill start-finish straight.
In the cooldown room after the race, Max Verstappen described the incident as “rubbing is racing”, but the stewards consider it necessary to investigate the matter further.
Should Leclerc receive a penalty, it would have greater consequences for him than for Antonelli. Even a five-second penalty would drop him behind the Racing Bulls driver, as the gap between the two at the finish was just 1.816 seconds.
Finally, Oliver Bearman and Haas also have to answer to the stewards over an unsafe release – incidentally, also involving Leclerc – although the Ferrari junior, driving for the American team, finished 17th and was already well outside the points anyway.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/kimi-antonelli-and-charles-leclerc-summoned-to-stewards-after-f1-brazilian-gp/10873093/
Charles Leclerc has been handed a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Liam Lawson over the final laps of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, dropping the Ferrari racer from P7 to P8.
Looking to recover as many positions as possible following what he labelled a “horrendous” opening stint at Interlagos, Leclerc steadily closed the gap down to the Racing Bulls driver amid increasing rainfall.
As their tight battle for seventh developed, the Monegasque tapped the left rear wheel of Lawson’s car at Turn 12 before sweeping around the outside to demote the New Zealander on the penultimate lap.
The stewards determined that the contact merited a time penalty for Leclerc, and with Lawson crossing the line just under two seconds behind, the pair have subsequently swapped places in the race classification.
“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 16 (Charles Leclerc), the driver of Car 30 (Liam Lawson), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and in-car video evidence and determined that Car 16 made contact with Car 30 at turn 12,” the verdict read.
“While the contact was minor and Car 30 was able to maintain the lead thereafter, thedriver of Car 30 claimed that the contact damaged the rear left rim of his car and also enabled Car 16 to get closer to him on track and then eventually overtake him 5 corners later. Furthermore, under the Driving Standard Guidelines, Car 30 had the right to the corner and it was for Car 16 to take the necessary steps to avoid a collision.
“The driver of Car 16 claimed that it was a minor contact with no obvious sporting consequence. While we acknowledge that the contact was minor, having examined the fight on track between the two cars, we conclude that Car 16 was able to get closer to and thereafter overtake Car 30 because of the contact. The contact clearly disrupted Car 30 and allowed Car 16 to pull up alongside when it was further away before the contact. This was an obvious sporting consequence.
“In mitigation, the wet conditions coupled with the nature of the contact (ie minor) was taken into account in imposing a 5 second time penalty as opposed to a 10 second time penalty.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/leclerc-hit-with-post-race-penalty-for-sao-paulo-collision-with-lawson.scK3PbeAxR70InNjz1ph3