Max Verstappen started the São Paulo Grand Prix from 21st on the grid and finished second at Interlagos on November 8. Behind him, George Russell’s fourth place gave Mercedes the 2026 Formula 1 constructors’ championship, its ninth. Lando Norris won the race for McLaren from pole position.
The Verstappen Interlagos drive was the story of a wet, messy afternoon. He crossed the line 14.602 seconds behind Norris after 71 laps. Meanwhile, his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar took third, so the team left Brazil with a double podium.
For Mercedes, the title ends a four-year wait. Its last constructors’ crown came in 2021, at the end of a long run of dominance. Now the team has both championships again, because Kimi Antonelli clinched the drivers’ title a week earlier.
The Verstappen Interlagos climb from 21st to second
Verstappen’s afternoon began at the back. The official starting grid notes that he took a 30-place penalty for using additional power unit elements. As a result, only Sergio Perez’s Cadillac lined up behind him.
Still, the Dutchman moved through the field quickly in the opening laps. Formula 1’s own race report says Hadjar had climbed as high as second in the middle of the race. However, Hadjar then ran wide at Turn 1 and lost time. After that, Red Bull told him to let Verstappen through.
From there, the Verstappen Interlagos chase turned to Norris. He pushed but could not close the gap. The finishing margin of 14.602 seconds comes straight from the official race classification. Hadjar followed in third, 24.485 seconds behind the winner, after starting fifth.
Interlagos has been kind to Verstappen before. In fact, Formula 1 points out that he won here in 2024 from 17th in the wet. Then, in 2025, he finished third after starting from the pit lane.
Rain, slicks and a spin for the leader
The weather shaped the whole weekend. Saturday’s qualifying ran in thunderstorms, and Norris took pole with Antonelli alongside. On Sunday, though, Antonelli beat Norris off the line and led the opening phase.
The track then dried enough for slick tires. Norris pitted a lap before Antonelli and cut into a seven-second gap, according to Formula 1’s race report. Under that pressure, Antonelli spun at Turn 1 and handed over the lead.
Late rain threw the order around once more. The Guardian’s report, carried by The Irish Times, says rain swept the track in the final 10 laps and set off a flurry of stops for wet tires. Even so, Norris kept control to the flag.
“The main thing today was I just kept it cool and I didn’t make any mistakes,” Norris said afterward. It was his third win of the season.
Mercedes seals its ninth constructors’ title
Mercedes did not need a win to finish the job. Instead, Russell’s fourth place and Antonelli’s fifth were enough. The Guardian put the total at nine constructors’ titles and noted that Mercedes clinched it with three rounds to spare.
The official standings after Brazil show why the fight was over. Mercedes sits on 652 points, while Ferrari, in second, has 510. That leaves a gap of 142 points.
Both Mercedes drivers had busy afternoons. Russell started seventh after a five-place grid penalty for an engine change. He then spun on the damp pit exit, recovered and passed his teammate late for fourth. Antonelli, for his part, picked up a five-second penalty after the race for an unsafe pit release. However, it did not change his position.
The result also gives Mercedes its first drivers’ and constructors’ double since 2020, The Guardian noted. Back then, Lewis Hamilton won the drivers’ crown for the team. This time, Antonelli and Russell shared the load.
Where the ninth title sits in Mercedes history
Mercedes built most of its record in one stretch. According to Guinness World Records, the team won eight consecutive constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021. That is the longest unbroken run in the championship’s history. The eighth came at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Then came a four-year gap before Interlagos. So the 2026 crown is the first of a new chapter for the team, rather than the tail end of the old streak. It also arrives with the drivers’ title in the same garage.
The rest of the points finishers
Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, while Liam Lawson took seventh for Racing Bulls after starting third. Charles Leclerc crossed the line ahead of Lawson. But a five-second penalty for causing a collision with him dropped Leclerc to eighth.
Lewis Hamilton made his 400th Formula 1 start from 20th after a power unit penalty. He gained 11 places on the opening lap, then struggled on worn intermediates and spun late. Even so, he salvaged ninth, a lap down. Nico Hulkenberg took the final point for Audi in 10th.
Two cars did not see the flag. Lance Stroll retired his Aston Martin after 30 laps, and Valtteri Bottas did not start in the second Cadillac. In the end, the official classification has Verstappen second from 21st on the grid, 14.602 seconds behind Norris, with Mercedes already crowned.
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