Norris Wins a Wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Verstappen Climbs From 21st and Mercedes Clinch the Constructors' Title
Antonelli led at turn one and spun on lap 20, Verstappen charged 19 places to second, and fourth and fifth for Mercedes sealed a ninth constructors' crown, with investigations pending.
Sunday, November 8, 2026/2 min read
Lando Norris won a wet, wild Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, taking his third victory of the season from pole and his second in a row at Interlagos, while Max Verstappen came from 21st on the grid to finish second. Mercedes also secured the constructors' championship, according to Yahoo Sports.
This is as the race stood at the flag, and a couple of post-race investigations were still open.
How did Norris win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix?
He did not make it easy for himself. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who started alongside him on the front row after the penalties we described in our qualifying report, took the lead at the first corner, and Norris also lost a place to Liam Lawson, Yahoo reported. Antonelli spun at turn one on lap 20 and later had to pit, which handed the lead back, and Norris pulled away after switching to slick tyres midway through a wet-dry-wet race.
He crossed the line 14.602 seconds clear of Verstappen over the 71 laps, per the results on PlanetF1. "It was a very tough race, very very tough," Norris said afterwards.
How did Verstappen get from 21st to second?
With a back-of-the-grid penalty for a new power unit, Verstappen started 21st and cut through the field in changeable conditions, finishing second for Red Bull. His team-mate Isack Hadjar was third, 24.485 seconds behind the winner, giving Red Bull a double podium, PlanetF1's table shows.
Behind them came George Russell fourth and Antonelli fifth for Mercedes, then Oscar Piastri sixth, Charles Leclerc seventh, Lawson eighth, Lewis Hamilton ninth and Nico Hulkenberg tenth. Hamilton had started 20th. Russell spun leaving the pit lane on lap 17 and fell to seventh before recovering, Yahoo said.
Have Mercedes won the constructors' championship?
Yes. ESPN's headline called Mercedes constructors' champions for the ninth time, and the title arrives a week after Antonelli became the youngest drivers' champion in the sport's history in Mexico City. Team principal Toto Wolff called it amazing, per Yahoo. As we reported before the weekend, Mercedes needed to outscore Ferrari by three points, and the fourth and fifth places of Russell and Antonelli did the job.
What investigations are still open?
Motorsport Week reported that Antonelli faced a post-race investigation for an unsafe release, that Hulkenberg had a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, and that Leclerc was under investigation after his late pass on Lawson. Any of these could move the classification, so treat positions below the podium as provisional. Rookie Rafael Camara finished 20th on his home debut for Haas, two laps down, per PlanetF1.
Formula 1 now heads to the closing rounds with the championships settled in one sense and the order behind them still to be argued over.
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