Lando Norris went back-to-back in São Paulo in a wet/dry/wet grand prix, while Max Verstappen thrilled again, and Mercedes was crowned World Champions. Autoweek rounds up the main talking points from the São Paulo Grand Prix.
Lando Norris made it three successive São Paulo pole positions and two straight wins at the venue, having navigated a tricky opening phase of the race to triumph. Pre-race rain on a dank and drizzly day left the circuit slippery, and Norris dropped to third position through the first laps, but he quickly overhauled fast-starting Liam Lawson and profited when Kimi Antonelli erred shortly after the changeover to slicks.
Once restored to the front of the pack Norris was peerless, adeptly switching back to Intermediate tires once the rain returned, and opened a comfortable buffer over the pack. Norris duly reeled off the remaining laps to take his third triumph of the year, and the 14th of his career, a timely reminder of his champion qualities in the first grand prix since being deposed as the current champion. His biggest error of the day? On the podium, where his attempted customary champagne bottle "smash" celebration backfired, leaving him sheepishly holding just the neck of a very broken bottle.
"This was certainly up there with one of our best-ever performances in terms of operational execution, strategy, and pit stop timing," said Norris. "The conditions out there in Brazil were exceptionally tricky, transitioning from intermediates to slicks on a damp track and back again. We had a difficult launch off the line with wheelspin and lost ground early on, but I stayed patient knowing the weather and potential safety cars would bring opportunities back to us."
Team Principal Andrea Stella added: "Lando drove exceptionally well in very difficult conditions, proving to be the fastest on both slick tyres and the Intermediates; he didn't make even the slightest mistake, apart from the incident on the podium!"
Another São Paulo Grand Prix, another Max Verstappen recovery from the back to the rostrum. After surging from 16th to victory in a rain-hit classic in 2024, and charging from the pit lane to third in 2025, Verstappen rose from 21st on the grid to the runner-up spot in 2026, making it a net gain of 51 places in three grands prix.
Buda Mendes - Getty Images
Verstappen's opening stint was key to his progress, as he rapidly made it into the top 10, before picking off rivals thereafter. Teammate Isack Hadjar smoothed his progress, and he gained from Mercedes' mistakes, but second place still marked another remarkable recovery at an iconic venue. It was also Verstappen's eighth successive podium finish and strengthens his grip on the runner-up spot in the championship. The result was accomplished despite Verstappen struggling with a mysterious performance loss as the race wore on, which has been a trait of the RB22 on occasion this year.
"That first stint went really, really well," said Verstappen. "We got very quickly back into the top 10, and I think the pace wasn't bad. But as soon as I switched to the slicks, I had an extreme amount of oversteer in the car in the high-speed corners, which made it super difficult to drive. So, we need to understand if something broke on the car, some kind of aero loss or whatever, because this was not normal. I sit here, of course, very happy with second, but at the same time, I know there was more in it if the car had been in good shape."
NurPhoto - Getty Images
On his third straight back-to-front São Paulo recovery race Verstappen joked "I like races like this, but next year, let's try and just start a bit further up front, please. That would be great to start with!"
Hadjar made it a double Red Bull top three for his fourth career podium.
"Out of the, I don't know how many races I have in F1, not many, but definitely the most challenging conditions I've ever faced," said Hadjar. "So, I'm happy to have tested myself in conditions like that. With the bit of experience I have, I feel happy to be on the podium next to two amazing drivers."
Mercedes has had a glorious campaign and duly wrapped up the Constructors' Championship, its ninth overall, and first since 2021. Recent years in the ground effect have been lean, as the team never got a handle on the regulations, but the new engine formula was expected to play into the marque's hands and it duly delivered.
Sunday's race in São Paulo was a slightly messy encounter, as Kimi Antonelli, who went off on his way to the grid, spun away the lead and complained of a handling imbalance after the switch to slick tires. George Russell contended for the front-running positions but had a clumsy spin exiting the pit lane which cost him dearly. Nevertheless, despite only taking fourth and fifth the title belonged to Mercedes, and there were wild celebrations with its own champions podium ceremony.
Kimi Antonelli (left), Toto Wolff (center), and George Russell.Alex Bierens de Haan - Getty Images
"Winning the world championship is a proud moment for every member of our team," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "The trophies may be handed over at the track, but success starts in our factories, in our meeting rooms, on the simulator, in the machine shops, and with every individual who contributes to our performance. What makes me happiest today is seeing the reward for that effort. The men and women in Brackley and Brixworth have shown once again what can be achieved when talented people work together with humility, determination and a shared purpose. They have fought for every point, every improvement and every opportunity throughout the season."
Remarkably it was the first race all year at which Mercedes failed to have at least one of its cars on the podium.
"We had the pace to win today but suffered during both transition points," Wolff said. "We would obviously have liked to finish the job in a more convincing way, but ultimately, we scored the points we needed. These last few races have been challenging at times and today was another difficult one, so there is plenty for us to understand and improve."
For the first time in a decade, Brazil had two drivers on the grid, but it was a difficult weekend for both Audi's sophomore Gabriel Bortoleto and Haas' debutant Rafael Câmara. Bortoleto crashed out of Q1, and from the lower reaches of the grid was able to recover only to 16th place.
"I spent quite a bit of time stuck behind other cars, but whenever I had some free air, our pace was quite positive, as it had been all weekend long—it is a shame we could not get more out of it," said Bortoleto. He at least reached the finish after his first-lap exit in 2025.
Câmara started an encouraging 11th on debut but tumbled rearwards through the tricky opening stint—which was not a surprise given his inexperience in Formula 1, let alone the conditions—and he was the final of the 20 classified runners.
"It definitely wasn't an easy one, with all the conditions out there we experienced over the course of one race," said Câmara. "In the beginning, it was about staying on track, and there were a couple of mistakes—it was a bit tricky. The positive is that there was no damage today and lots learned, but there's still a lot more to learn for the future. I think there are a lot of things to go through with the team and put in place for next time. On one side, I was trying to enjoy my first race in Formula 1, at home, so it was nice—but I think on my side, I wasn't fully satisfied with how we finished today. It was a weekend where I think I must've nearly experienced everything, so I've learned a lot for the future."
Haas has yet to communicate whether 2027 signing Câmara will continue in the car in Las Vegas.
Liam Lawson excelled in wet conditions in qualifying, to line up in third place after penalties elsewhere, and briefly climbed up to second at the start. From there, given the overall performance of the Racing Bulls machinery, it was a rear-guard job and Lawson naturally slipped backwards. But in a race in which the drivers from the top four teams all reached the finish Lawson battled gamely and classified eighth, having only lost seventh after been nudged wide by Charles Leclerc in the closing laps.
Liam Lawson.Jayce Illman - Getty Images
A couple of hours post-race Lawson reclaimed seventh when Leclerc was duly penalized for his bump-and-run move. It marked Lawson's fifth straight points finish, four of which have been seventh place finishes, and 15 from 20 grands prix this year, as he once more states his case for a 2027 contract renewal – he can do little more, frankly.
"We had a strong race and made the most of everything we had available," said Lawson. "I had great grip on the opening lap and was able to fight with the top teams, but over a long stint we don't quite have the pace to match them, so I focused on not losing too much time. We've had a really decent tripleheader with plenty of positives to take away, and I've genuinely enjoyed it."
Pos/Driver/Team/Time/Retired/Pts
1. Lando Norris, McLaren, 1:35:23.504, 25
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, +14.602s, 18
3. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing, +24.485s, 15
4. George Russell, Mercedes, +33.991s, 12
5. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, +41.017s, 10
6. Oscar Piastri, McLaren, +56.475s, 8
7. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, +75.402s, 6
8. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +78.586s, 4
9. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, +1 Lap, 2
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi, +1 Lap, 1
11. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls, +1 Lap, 0
12. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, +1 Lap, 0
13. Franco Colapinto, Alpine, +1 Lap, 0
14. Pierre Gasly, Alpine, +1 Lap, 0
15. Alexander Albon, Williams, +1 Lap, 0
16. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi, +1 Lap, 0
17. Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, +1 Lap, 0
18. Sergio Perez, Cadillac, +2 Laps, 0
19. Carlos Sainz, Williams, +2 Laps, 0
20. Rafael Câmara, Haas F1 Team, +2 Laps, 0
NC, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, DNF, 0
NC, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac, DNS, 0
Notes: Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli each received five-second time penalties for an unsafe release. Charles Leclerc received a five-second penalty for causing a collision.
Fastest Lap:Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)—1:12.689.
