Sao Paulo, Brazil, November 9, 2026: Lando Norris converted pole position into a commanding victory at the 2026 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by 14.602 seconds in a rain-affected race at Interlagos. Verstappen produced an extraordinary recovery from 21st on the grid to finish second, while Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar claimed third. Mercedes secured the 2026 Constructors’ Championship after George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth respectively, with two races remaining.

Lando Norris strengthened his position in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with a commanding victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix. The McLaren driver mastered a challenging 71-lap race at Interlagos, negotiating changing weather conditions, multiple tyre strategies and several incidents to take his third win of the season.

Starting from pole position, Norris crossed the finish line in 1:35:23.504, finishing 14.602 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver delivered one of the standout performances of the season, recovering from 21st on the starting grid to finish second.

Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third, securing another strong result for Red Bull. However, the biggest celebrations belonged to Mercedes, with George Russell finishing fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth to mathematically secure the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.

Antonelli and Lawson get better starts as Norris loses early advantage

The race began on Intermediate tyres, with Antonelli making an excellent getaway from second on the grid to take the lead into Turn 1. Norris lost ground from pole position, while Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson made an impressive start to move into second.

Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton produced an encouraging opening lap in his 400th Formula 1 Grand Prix appearance. Starting 20th, the Ferrari driver climbed to ninth by the end of the opening lap.

Verstappen was equally impressive, advancing from 21st to 13th during the opening exchanges. The four-time World Champion continued his recovery and reached eighth by Lap 5 after passing Oscar Piastri and Alexander Albon.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was investigated for passing Oliver Bearman off the track and was instructed to give the position back, dropping to 11th.

As the circuit began drying, the Intermediate tyres started overheating, allowing Norris, Hadjar and Russell to overtake Lawson. Verstappen also made progress through the field, moving ahead of Nico Hülkenberg.

Norris takes control after Mercedes spins

Hamilton was among the first drivers to switch to slick tyres, pitting at the end of Lap 14 for soft compounds. Albon followed one lap later, triggering a series of pit stops as teams responded to improving track conditions.

Norris, Russell and Hadjar came into the pits at the end of Lap 16, while Antonelli and Verstappen stayed out for another lap.

Russell’s pit stop was followed by a costly moment at the pit-lane exit when the Mercedes driver spun and briefly made contact with the wall while attempting to recover.

Antonelli and Verstappen eventually stopped at the end of Lap 17, with the Mercedes driver retaining the lead. Norris had reduced the gap to approximately two seconds, while Verstappen rejoined fourth behind Hadjar.

Norris quickly closed in on Antonelli, and the turning point arrived on Lap 20 when the Mercedes driver spun at Turn 1. Norris moved into the lead, while Antonelli rejoined ahead of Hadjar.

However, another mistake at the same corner on the following lap allowed Hadjar to move into second. Verstappen subsequently passed Antonelli as the Mercedes driver continued to struggle with the conditions.

By Lap 23, the circuit was declared completely dry, and Overtake Mode was enabled. Norris held a 3.3-second advantage over Hadjar, with Verstappen approximately seven seconds behind.

Verstappen overtakes Hadjar as Norris extends lead

With the threat of further rain hanging over Interlagos, Norris continued to build his advantage at the front.

Hadjar initially maintained second place, but Verstappen gradually closed the gap to his Red Bull team-mate. On Lap 38, the Dutchman made his move into Turn 1 to take second place.

Norris was now more than nine seconds ahead and continued to control the race.

Further down the field, Hamilton returned to competitive pace after switching to another set of soft tyres. The Ferrari driver eventually unlapped himself from Norris on Lap 44.

Verstappen made his second pit stop at the end of Lap 45, rejoining fifth behind Piastri and Russell. Red Bull decided to keep Hadjar on track, with the Frenchman reporting only light drops of rain.

Norris made his second stop at the end of Lap 49, returning to the circuit in fourth place. He quickly passed Piastri, while Red Bull brought Hadjar in one lap later. The rookie rejoined sixth before moving up to fifth following Piastri’s pit stop on Lap 51.

Antonelli subsequently surrendered the lead to pit at the end of Lap 53, rejoining behind Russell and Hadjar. The Red Bull driver overtook Russell at Turn 4 to return to the podium positions.

Late rain brings another twist at Interlagos

The expected rain finally intensified during the closing stages, making the circuit increasingly difficult to negotiate.

Russell was instructed to allow Antonelli through at the start of Lap 57, while Lawson moved ahead of Charles Leclerc to claim seventh.

Norris continued to lead by approximately 10 seconds, with Verstappen second and Hadjar third. Antonelli was closing on the Red Bull driver, but deteriorating conditions were about to trigger another round of pit stops.

With rain becoming increasingly heavy, drivers began returning to Intermediate tyres. Russell and Fernando Alonso were among the first to pit at the end of Lap 61, with the remainder of the field following.

Hamilton’s recovery suffered a setback when he spun on the climb towards the final sector, brushing the wall before managing to return to the pits.

Antonelli also came under investigation after emerging from his pit box into the path of an Alpine. With Russell on fresher Intermediate tyres, Mercedes instructed Antonelli to surrender fourth place to his team-mate.

The order at the front remained unchanged as Norris negotiated the final laps to secure a convincing victory.

Mercedes crowned 2026 Constructors’ Champions

Norris took the chequered flag in 1:35:23.504, with Verstappen finishing 14.602 seconds behind. Hadjar crossed the line 24.485 seconds behind Norris to secure third place and his second podium of the season.

Russell finished fourth, followed by Antonelli in fifth, with their combined result confirming Mercedes as the 2026 Formula 1 Constructors’ Champions with two races still remaining.

Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, ahead of Leclerc in seventh. The Ferrari driver overtook Lawson on the penultimate lap, leaving the Racing Bulls driver eighth.

Hamilton recovered to ninth despite his late spin, while Hülkenberg completed the top 10 for Audi.

Arvid Lindblad finished 11th for Racing Bulls, followed by Alonso in 12th and Franco Colapinto in 13th. Pierre Gasly and Albon finished 14th and 15th respectively.

Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th for Audi, ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman in 17th. Sergio Perez finished 18th for Cadillac, followed by Carlos Sainz in 19th and Rafael Câmara in 20th.

Lance Stroll retired after completing 30 laps, while Valtteri Bottas did not start the race.

With the São Paulo Grand Prix complete, attention now turns to the remaining two rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Norris has added another important victory to his campaign, Verstappen has demonstrated the strength of Red Bull’s race pace with an outstanding recovery, and Mercedes can celebrate securing the Constructors’ crown.

Complete 2026 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix race results

Interlagos – 71 laps | Winner’s time: 1:35:23.504