Sao Paulo, Brazil, November 9, 2026: Lando Norris described his victory at the 2026 Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix as one of the best performances of his career, highlighting McLaren’s race strategy and flawless execution in challenging conditions. Max Verstappen, who recovered from 21st on the grid to finish second, revealed that an unusual oversteer problem on slick tyres compromised his race, while Isack Hadjar celebrated his third podium of the season after another impressive performance for Red Bull.

Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar offered contrasting perspectives on an eventful 2026 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix, following a race that tested drivers and teams with changing weather, multiple tyre changes and difficult track conditions at Interlagos.

Norris converted pole position into his third victory of the season, finishing 14.602 seconds ahead of Verstappen, who produced an outstanding recovery from 21st on the grid. Red Bull’s Hadjar completed the podium in third, securing his third top-three finish of the campaign.

Speaking after the race, Norris described the victory as one of the best of his Formula 1 career, while Verstappen admitted that a potential car problem prevented him from challenging for an even better result.

Norris calls São Paulo GP one of his best Formula 1 victories

Norris acknowledged that the São Paulo Grand Prix was among the most challenging races he had experienced, given the constantly changing conditions and the need to manage different tyre compounds.

The McLaren driver had to recover from a difficult start, manage Intermediate tyres on a drying circuit, switch to slicks without making mistakes and then return to Intermediates as rain intensified towards the end.

He particularly praised McLaren’s strategy, pit-stop execution and timing of decisions, explaining how the team put pressure on its rivals at crucial moments.

Norris revealed that he had been approximately eight seconds behind Kimi Antonelli before the first round of pit stops. Antonelli pitted one lap earlier for slick tyres, allowing Norris to emerge directly behind the Mercedes driver and put him under pressure.

The Italian subsequently made a mistake, which Norris capitalised on to take the lead.

The McLaren driver also credited his ability to avoid mistakes in conditions where locking up under braking, particularly into Turn 1, was a constant threat.

Asked about his difficult opening lap, Norris admitted that he was unhappy with his start and the incident involving Liam Lawson, who moved ahead of him through the opening corners.

He explained that Lawson had been in his blind spot, making it difficult to judge his position. Norris also said he needed to review the launch after experiencing wheelspin despite believing he had executed it correctly.

However, he remained patient, recognising that the changing conditions and possibility of Safety Cars or further rain could alter the race.

McLaren upgrades provide progress, but Norris wants more

Norris also discussed the impact of the new front-wing upgrade introduced by McLaren for the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

While acknowledging that the updates had worked as expected, he cautioned against viewing them as a dramatic transformation in the team’s competitiveness.

According to Norris, McLaren had generally been one or two tenths behind the leading cars during practice sessions, and the upgrades had helped reduce that deficit.

He said the improvements had given him a car capable of fighting for victory, which was an important step forward.

However, Norris was equally clear that McLaren still had work to do before it could consistently challenge for the World Championship.

Despite securing pole position and winning in Brazil, he admitted that the team was not yet at the level required to be confident of fighting for the championship.

The British driver praised the team’s development efforts but stressed that further progress would be necessary.

Verstappen reveals unusual oversteer problem during race

Max Verstappen’s second-place finish was one of the standout performances of the São Paulo Grand Prix, particularly considering that the Red Bull driver started 21st on the grid.

The Dutchman made rapid progress during the opening stages, recovering positions in the midfield before reaching the top 10 within the first few laps.

However, Verstappen revealed that his race became considerably more difficult after switching from Intermediate to slick tyres.

He experienced an extreme amount of oversteer, particularly through high-speed corners, making the car unusually difficult to drive.

Verstappen said the behaviour was abnormal and suggested that Red Bull would need to investigate whether the car had suffered damage or an aerodynamic loss.

Interestingly, he described the car’s behaviour on the final set of Intermediate tyres as completely different from its performance during the first stint.

This strengthened his suspicion that something had gone wrong during the slick-tyre phase.

Although pleased with second place after starting from the back, Verstappen believed there was more potential in the race had the car been performing normally.

He also highlighted the opportunities provided by the wet conditions, which allowed drivers to use different racing lines and attempt overtaking moves that would have been more difficult in the dry.

Verstappen explains difficult opening lap and looks ahead to Las Vegas

Verstappen also explained that his recovery could have been even better during the opening lap.

He admitted to making a mistake with his clutch position, resulting in a slow reaction when the lights went out.

He subsequently encountered traffic through the first three corners, with several cars blocking his path and limiting his opportunities to overtake.

However, once he cleared the initial congestion, the Red Bull driver began passing competitors almost every corner, benefiting from what he felt was a grip advantage over much of the midfield.

Looking ahead to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen was cautious about Red Bull’s prospects.

He pointed out that the circuit presents different challenges, particularly with its long straights, energy deployment requirements and low temperatures.

The Dutchman suggested that slipstreaming could play an important role, potentially making the race similar to Monza in terms of the benefits of following another car along the straights.

However, he stressed that tyre performance would be the key factor, especially given the unpredictable behaviour of different cars in cold conditions.

Hadjar celebrates third podium after challenging weekend

Isack Hadjar secured third place at Interlagos, delivering another impressive result in what has been a strong 2026 campaign.

The Frenchman described the São Paulo Grand Prix as the most challenging race conditions he had experienced in Formula 1, particularly given his relatively limited experience in the championship.

Hadjar was pleased to share the podium with Norris and Verstappen, describing them as two outstanding drivers.

He also revealed that his race had its share of difficulties, particularly during the middle part of the Intermediate-tyre stint.

The Red Bull driver struggled to accelerate out of corners and lost considerable time, including when George Russell overtook him through Turn 12.

However, the situation improved after a few laps, although it was almost time to switch to Soft tyres.

Hadjar said the car was competitive on the Soft compound and maintained strong pace through to the final stint, even when the rain returned.

Hadjar enjoys battle with Antonelli

Hadjar also reflected on his on-track battle with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, particularly during the closing stages when the circuit began getting wet again.

The Frenchman enjoyed the fight, explaining that Antonelli was close behind and applying pressure while he was trying to assess the available grip on the Soft tyres.

Hadjar also credited his recent performances to his ability to deliver results despite difficult circumstances.

He pointed out that his podium finishes had rarely come from straightforward weekends, with the team having struggled on Friday and Saturday morning in Brazil before recovering strongly for the race.

The Frenchman was particularly pleased with his ability to dig deep and deliver when circumstances were against him.

His third-place finish marked his third podium of the 2026 season and another significant result for Red Bull.