Lando Norris wins Brazilian GP as Mercedes clinch constructors title

Lando Norris claimed his third victory of 2026 at the Brazilian Grand Prix, securing McLaren’s first win since Zandvoort in late August. The race began in intermediate conditions, with polesitter Norris immediately losing the lead to Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson on the run to Turn 1. Norris quickly reclaimed second place from Lawson, but Antonelli escaped ahead as the field waited for the correct moment to switch tyres. McLaren made the right call by pitting a lap before Antonelli, allowing Norris to close much of the gap. Antonelli then struggled to fire up his soft tyres and spun at Turn 1 on his second lap, handing Norris the lead. The world champion reported his car was "steering by itself" and could not manage left-hand corners, while Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen picked him off in quick succession. Norris went unthreatened thereafter, building a solid gap that survived a late rain shower and the switch back to intermediates.

A scrappy path to the constructors’ crown

Mercedes clinched its ninth constructors’ championship with three races remaining, ending a five-year drought that followed its record-breaking eight consecutive titles from 2014 to 2021. Heading into the race, the team held a 126-point lead over Ferrari with 172 points still on offer, requiring a 129-point buffer after the event to be assured of the title. George Russell finished fourth and Antonelli fifth for a haul of 22 points, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton managed only eight for Ferrari. This result extended Mercedes’ lead to 140 points, comfortably clearing the necessary threshold. The achievement moves the Silver Arrows level with Williams in third place for the most F1 constructors’ titles, behind only Ferrari with 16 and McLaren with 10. It is also the third year in a row a Mercedes-powered car has won the championship, following McLaren’s victories in 2024 and 2025.

The podium was completed by Verstappen and Hadjar, both driving Red Bulls. Verstappen charged from 21st on the grid, making 10 positions up in the first couple of laps to settle for second place 14 seconds behind Norris. Hadjar took third another nine seconds further back, having waved Verstappen by on lap 38. Russell beat Antonelli for the first time since Baku despite spinning in the pitlane after changing from intermediates to slicks. He regained lost time by running just one stint on slicks while most drivers needed two sets before the late switch back to intermediates. Antonelli, who may face a penalty for an unsafe release at Interlagos, finished 20 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri in sixth.

Ferrari suffered a tricky race where neither driver sustained a genuine comeback. Hamilton made a spirited opening lap charge from 20th to ninth but fell back as he struggled on intermediates, even being passed by Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin Honda. He was the first to switch to slicks and regained positions there, but lost time to a spin just before needing to pit for intermediates again at the end. That left him ninth at the chequered flag behind Lawson and team-mate Leclerc. Nico Hulkenberg took the final point for Audi in 10th place despite serving a 10-second time penalty for going off the track at Turn 1 while fighting with Franco Colapinto. Lance Stroll retired for the 14th time this season, and Valtteri Bottas did not make the start due to a cross-threaded right-rear wheel nut on his Cadillac.