Norris wins wet São Paulo GP as Mercedes seals constructors' title
Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
McLaren's Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix, and Mercedes clinched the 2026 constructors' championship. Norris started from pole position but dropped to third at the start. He took the lead on lap 20, when race leader Kimi Antonelli spun at Turn 1. The track at Autódromo José Carlos Pace was wet at the start, then dried out, before rain returned in the closing stages.
Results: podium and gaps
Norris completed the 71 laps in 1:35:23.504 and finished 14.6s ahead of Max Verstappen, who started from 21st on the grid. It was Norris's third win of the season and his second consecutive victory at Interlagos.
Isack Hadjar finished third, giving Red Bull a double podium. It was the fourth podium of the Frenchman's career. George Russell and Antonelli finished fourth and fifth, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri sixth.
Points: Norris 25, Verstappen 18, Hadjar 15, Russell 12, Antonelli 10.
The start and Antonelli's spins
Antonelli, the newly crowned world champion, made a mistake before the race had even started. On the formation lap he ran wide at Turn 12 and spun on the wet grass. He returned to the garage for a check, but the car was undamaged. Valtteri Bottas did not start: his Cadillac was pulled off the grid with a technical problem.
When the lights went out, Antonelli took the lead from second on the grid. Norris was cautious into Turn 1, and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson went around the outside of him to take second at Turn 2.
On the drying track the intermediate tires overheated quickly. Lawson struggled with tire wear and was passed in turn by Norris, Hadjar and Russell. Lewis Hamilton was the first driver to switch to slicks, fitting soft tires at the end of lap 14.
Norris, Russell and Hadjar pitted at the end of lap 16, when Norris was 7s behind Antonelli. Russell spun at the pit exit, brushed the wall and lost both time and positions.
Antonelli and Verstappen stayed out one lap longer. The Italian rejoined still in the lead, but only 2s ahead of Norris, and by lap 18 the gap was down to 0.6s. Antonelli reported over the radio that "something is weird with the car" and suggested a suspension problem.
At the start of lap 20, Antonelli spun at Turn 1 and Norris moved to the front. A lap later the Italian ran too deep at the same corner again, and Hadjar took second. On lap 23 the track was declared fully dry and Overtake Mode was enabled. On that lap Antonelli went off at Turn 1 once more and dropped behind Verstappen.
Verstappen's recovery from 21st
The four-time world champion was 13th after the opening lap. On lap 5 he moved up to eighth, passing Piastri and Alex Albon within two corners. After the first round of stops he was fourth, behind Hadjar, and on lap 23 he was 7s behind the leader.
After lap 30, drivers were warned over the radio that rain could arrive within 10 laps. Hadjar ran wide at Turn 1, and on lap 38 Verstappen passed his teammate. Norris led by 9.2s at that point. Hadjar stayed less than a second behind Verstappen and asked whether the team would swap their positions.
Red Bull split its strategy. Verstappen pitted at the end of lap 45 and rejoined fifth, ahead of Russell. Hadjar confirmed he could make it to the finish without stopping and reported light drops of rain.
Norris made his second stop at the end of lap 49 and rejoined fourth, leaving Hadjar in the lead. Norris passed Piastri on his out-lap. Red Bull brought Hadjar in a lap later, and he rejoined sixth.
Late rain and a Mercedes position swap
The rain did not arrive until the closing stages, and Norris got through it without losing the win. Mercedes switched to intermediate tires late on. Russell then caught Antonelli, and the team swapped the two drivers' positions.
Mercedes' ninth constructors' title
Before Sunday's race, Mercedes led Ferrari by 126 points and needed a 129-point advantage to secure the title. Fourth and fifth places on Sunday were enough. It is Mercedes' ninth constructors' championship and its first since 2021. Antonelli had already secured the drivers' world title.
Hamilton, Leclerc and the rest of the field
Hamilton made his 400th F1 start and finished ninth. He started 20th and was ninth after the first lap, but the stewards investigated whether he had left the track while passing Oliver Bearman on the exit of Turn 5. Hamilton gave the position back and dropped to 11th.
The Ferrari driver also spun. He later fitted a second set of soft tires, set the fastest lap times and unlapped himself on lap 44.
Charles Leclerc passed Lawson on the penultimate lap but received a 5s penalty for causing a collision with the Racing Bulls driver. After the race the two swapped positions: Lawson was classified seventh and Leclerc eighth. Nico Hülkenberg completed the top 10 for Audi.
Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad finished 11th, just outside the points. Williams' Albon was 15th after a 5s penalty for an incident when rejoining the track at Turn 1. Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th for Audi in front of his home crowd. Rafael Camara made his F1 debut with Haas and finished 20th. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll retired midway through the race.
The next round of the championship is in Las Vegas.