Lando Norris mastered a rain-soaked Interlagos to win the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, 8 November 2026, while Mercedes sealed the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with three rounds still to run. The McLaren driver led 47 of the 71 laps and crossed the line 14.602 seconds clear of Max Verstappen, who had charged from 21st on the grid to second.
It was Norris’s third victory of the season, after Hungary and the Netherlands, and his second in a row in Brazil. The win was the 14th of his career and his 50th podium finish. Brazil football great Neymar waved the chequered flag as Norris took it in a race that swung between heavy rain and a drying track.
Rain, spray and a 21st-to-second charge
Norris started from pole position and controlled the race once the field settled, but the afternoon was anything but comfortable. Changing weather forced drivers to rethink their strategy lap by lap, with standing water in places and aquaplaning a constant threat around the Interlagos circuit.
He briefly lost the lead to new world champion Kimi Antonelli, who had started alongside him on the front row, before the 20-year-old Italian spun and Norris retook control. Antonelli recovered to finish fifth, one place behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who had spun in the pit lane during his own stop.
Behind them, Verstappen produced the drive of the day. Sent to the back of the grid by penalties for changes to his power unit, the four-time champion carved through the field in the wet and finished second, 14.602 seconds behind Norris. His Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third, giving the team a double podium on a day when grip was at a premium. The Associated Press race report called it a dominant drive from Norris in mixed conditions.
“The main thing today was to keep it cool,” a relaxed Norris said after his third win of the season. His calm matched the conditions: the rain never fully left Interlagos, and the final laps were run in a downpour that left the backmarkers a lap down.
Mercedes seal the double a week after Antonelli’s crown
Russell and Antonelli’s fourth and fifth places were more than enough for Mercedes. The team moved to 652 points and can no longer be caught, securing its ninth constructors’ championship and its first since 2021. The title also draws Mercedes level with Williams on nine team crowns.
The triumph completed a title double one week after Antonelli became the youngest drivers’ champion in Formula 1 history in Mexico City, clinching the crown with four races to spare. Al Jazeera’s report on the race noted that Mercedes had needed only three more points than Ferrari to clinch the title in São Paulo.
“It was a very strong beginning of the season that got us over the line,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. “I never thought this was ever possible.” The team’s drivers and staff celebrated on a separate podium with champagne, a fitting end to a season that began with questions about the new regulations and ended with both championships in the bag.
São Paulo Grand Prix 2026: final classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35:23.504 | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +14.602 | 18 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +24.485 | 15 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | +33.991 | 12 |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +41.017 | 10 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +56.475 | 8 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +75.402 | 6 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +78.586* | 4 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | +1 lap | 1 |
*Leclerc crossed the line seventh but dropped to eighth after a five-second post-race penalty for causing a collision with Lawson at Turn 12 during a final-lap scrap. Lawson moved up to seventh as a result.
Hamilton’s 400th start and a quiet day for the home crowd
Lewis Hamilton reached a milestone that only one driver before him has managed, making his 400th Grand Prix start. Fernando Alonso is the only other driver to have reached the mark. Hamilton started from the back after changes to his Ferrari and fought back to ninth, a lap down on Norris, on a day when the Scuderia never threatened the front.
The two home drivers had a disappointing race in front of the Brazilian fans. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th, and Haas rookie Rafael Câmara, the replacement for Esteban Ocon, came home 20th.
The podium celebrations produced their own drama. Norris smashed his champagne bottle as he attempted his trademark celebration of banging it against the podium floor, and was then caught by an unexpected blast from fireworks moments later. He emerged unscathed from both mishaps.
Next stop: Las Vegas under the lights
Formula 1 now heads to the United States for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, 21 November 2026. It caps a championship-heavy autumn for American sports fans, after the Brewers’ first World Series title and the first-ever WNBA Finals Game 7 on Halloween.
After Las Vegas, two rounds remain in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, though there is uncertainty over the final two races of the season because of tensions in the Middle East. The drivers’ title is settled, but the fight behind Mercedes is not: Norris sits sixth in the standings, 33 points behind second-placed Verstappen, with pride and position still to race for.
São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 FAQs
Who won the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix?
Lando Norris won for McLaren, starting from pole position and leading 47 of 71 laps in wet conditions at Interlagos. It was his third win of the season and his 14th career victory.
How did Max Verstappen finish second after starting 21st?
Verstappen was sent to the back of the grid by penalties for changes to his Red Bull’s power unit. He drove through the field in the rain to finish 14.602 seconds behind Norris and was voted Driver of the Day.
Who won the 2026 F1 constructors’ championship?
Mercedes, with 652 points and three rounds to spare. It is the team’s ninth constructors’ title and its first since 2021, completing a double after Kimi Antonelli clinched the drivers’ championship in Mexico City.
When is the next Formula 1 race?
The Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, 21 November 2026. Qatar and Abu Dhabi follow, though the final two rounds face uncertainty because of tensions in the Middle East.
Where does Lando Norris stand in the drivers’ championship?
Norris is sixth overall, 33 points behind second-placed Max Verstappen, with Antonelli already confirmed as the 2026 world champion.
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