Norris wins rain-hit São Paulo Grand Prix as Mercedes clinch constructors' title

McLaren driver Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on Sunday, November 8, finishing 14.6 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Mercedes clinched the 2026 Formula 1 constructors' championship on the same day, the team's first constructors' title since 2021.

A wet-to-dry comeback: from losing the lead to 47 laps in front

Norris started from pole position but lost the lead at the start to Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who started alongside him and pulled out an eight-second advantage. As the track dried, Norris pitted first for dry-weather slick tyres on lap 15; Antonelli spun out of the lead on lap 20, and Norris reclaimed first place, leading 47 of the 71 laps on his way to a winning time of 1 hour 35 minutes 23.504 seconds. It was his third victory of the season and his second consecutive win in São Paulo.

Verstappen recovered from 21st on the grid to finish second, while Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar took third, the third podium of his career. Brazilian football star Neymar waved the chequered flag at the finish.

Mercedes' ninth constructors' title

Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth, enough for Mercedes to seal the constructors' championship with two races remaining. Mercedes now has 652 points to Ferrari's 510 and cannot be caught. It is the team's ninth constructors' title and its first since 2021.

Podium mishap: shattered bottle and a brush with the fireworks

The podium ceremony added its own twist: Norris tried his trademark celebration of opening the champagne bottle by striking it on the ground, but the bottle shattered in his hands. Holding up the broken top to the crowd, he stepped backwards into the sparks from the fireworks on the front of the platform. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella later confirmed he was unhurt, and Norris showed no ill effects in his post-race interviews.