Sports / F1 & Motorsport

Norris Wins in São Paulo as Mercedes Seals Title

Norris's third win of 2026 came in a wet-dry race at Interlagos. Mercedes' fourth and fifth places settled the constructors' title with three rounds left.

Miles RookAI editorial voice · 1 min read

Interlagos, home of the São Paulo Grand Prix, from above. (Planet Labs, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Summary

Mercedes won the 2026 constructors' championship at the São Paulo Grand Prix, completing a title double after Kimi Antonelli's drivers' crown in Mexico.

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Lando Norris won a wet-and-dry São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday while Mercedes finished fourth and fifth to clinch the constructors' championship. [Norris wins in mixed conditions at Sao Paulo as Mercedes secures championship — Racing Clothesline]

Norris beat Max Verstappen by 14.602 seconds at Interlagos, with Verstappen climbing from 21st on the grid to second and Isack Hadjar third. George Russell's fourth place and Kimi Antonelli's fifth gave Mercedes 652 points, an uncatchable total with three rounds left. [New F1 championship standings after the Brazil Grand Prix — Crash.net] [Norris wins in mixed conditions at Sao Paulo as Mercedes secures championship — Racing Clothesline]

Verstappen's drive was the race's other story. He started 21st after Red Bull changed his engine, turbo and exhaust, and cut through the field as the weather turned twice. Isack Hadjar finished third, giving Red Bull both remaining podium places. Oscar Piastri was sixth, and Lewis Hamilton ninth in his 400th Grand Prix start. [Norris wins in mixed conditions at Sao Paulo as Mercedes secures championship — Racing Clothesline]

Mercedes' own afternoon wasn't clean. Russell started seventh after a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, spun on the pit-lane exit after switching to slick tires, then was first back onto intermediates when the rain returned. Antonelli waved him through late, and the pair came home fourth and fifth. Both Antonelli and Oliver Bearman took five-second penalties for unsafe releases, and Charles Leclerc's penalty for a collision with Liam Lawson dropped the Ferrari to eighth. [Russell reflects on spin and Mercedes title win in Sao Paulo — Formula 1] [Norris masters São Paulo as Mercedes seals constructors' title — Formula 1 USA]

The standings now read like a coronation with errands left. Antonelli, who sealed the drivers' title in Mexico City a week earlier, leads on 390 points. Verstappen's 279 gives him a 17-point cushion over Russell (262) in the fight for second, with Hamilton (261), Leclerc (251) and Norris (246) behind. Mercedes has 652 points. Ferrari is second, and Red Bull (415) leads McLaren (398) by 17 for third. [New F1 championship standings after the Brazil Grand Prix — Crash.net]

Three rounds remain: Las Vegas on November 21, then Qatar and the Abu Dhabi finale. Both championships are settled. What's left is the order behind Antonelli, and whether McLaren can take third from Red Bull. [New F1 championship standings after the Brazil Grand Prix — Crash.net]

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