Lando Norris wins Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Mercedes claims ninth constructors' title

Lando Norris won the rain-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on Sunday as Mercedes secured the 2026 constructors' championship despite finishing 4th and fifth.

Kimi Antonelli had led until he spun at Turn One on lap 20, giving Norris the lead. Antonelli, who had secured the drivers' title the previous week, told Mercedes over the radio that “something weird” was wrong with his car. He complained about the suspension, but Mercedes told him tyre temperature was the problem.

George Russell came home fourth, one place ahead of Antonelli. With three rounds left, Mercedes had secured its ninth constructors' title, its first since 2021.

“The main thing today was that I just kept it cool and I did not make any mistakes,” Norris said. He described it as “a very tough race,” pointing to his poor start and the challenge of driving on slick tyres in the wet conditions.

Red Bull put both cars on the podium, with Max Verstappen recovering from 21st after power unit penalties to finish second and teammate Isack Hadjar taking third.

Norris, the previous world champion, earned his second successive victory in Brazil. He led 47 of the 71 laps to claim his third win of the season.

Antonelli had a scare before the race. He slid across the grass on his way to the grid, narrowly missed the barriers and drove his Mercedes out of the mud.

Norris began on pole, but Antonelli overtook him at the start and Liam Lawson passed him at Turn Two, dropping him to third on the opening lap. Antonelli then built a lead on the wet track.

Lewis Hamilton was the first to switch to dry soft tyres, doing so on lap 15; every other driver followed his lead. Norris switched to slicks one lap before Antonelli and was close behind when the Mercedes driver returned to the track.

Russell was running third when he spun at the pit-lane exit during his stop, losing 15 to 20 seconds. His car sat sideways while rivals squeezed by on both sides.

Antonelli went off at Turn One again on lap 24, allowing Verstappen to move into third. Red Bull later instructed Hadjar to let Verstappen through on lap 39, hoping he could catch Norris.

Rain returned near the finish, forcing every driver back onto intermediate tyres, and Mercedes ordered Antonelli to let Russell pass. Norris finished 14.6 seconds clear of Verstappen.

Stewards are to investigate Antonelli over an unsafe pit release during the late rain, The Independent reported. The outcome was not immediately known.

Mercedes now shares third place with Williams on Formula 1's all-time constructors' title list. The team won eight consecutive championships from 2014 to 2021, and Ferrari had been its only remaining challenger this year.

Team principal Toto Wolff credited Mercedes' strong start to the season. He said he had never believed the title was possible. “Not many teams can come back,” Wolff said, according to Yahoo Sports.

Hamilton made his 400th Grand Prix start after engine problems on Saturday left him 20th on the grid. In the early laps, he rose to ninth, overtaking several cars, among them that of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc retook the place on lap 10 while Hamilton complained about his tyres. Leclerc finished seventh, with Hamilton ninth.

The next race is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a night event due to begin at 04:00 GMT on Nov. 22.