Norris wins wet Sao Paulo race as Mercedes take constructors' title
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Lando Norris won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on a rain-soaked Interlagos circuit on Sunday, finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen as Mercedes clinched the 2026 Formula 1 constructors’ championship.
Mr. Norris started from pole position for McLaren but lost places at the start to Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson. Antonelli built an eight-second lead in the first 13 laps on the wet track. As the surface dried, Mr. Norris was among the first to switch from intermediate tires to slicks, and a spin by Antonelli opened the door for him to take the lead. He held it through a return of rain and a further round of pit stops.
Mr. Verstappen drove from 21st on the grid to finish second, and Mr. Norris’s performance overshadowed what BBC Sport called a drive that threatened to be one of his descending-from-the-gods days. Antonelli, already this season’s drivers’ champion, was made to look fallible for the first time in a title year.
The race challenged the field through wet, drying and again wet conditions. “It was a very tough race — very, very tough,” Mr. Norris said. “One of the hardest races of the year in terms of focus needed every lap and therefore one of the best.” He said the victory was “a little bit of reward” for McLaren’s hard work.
The day’s misstep came after the checkered flag. Mr. Norris jumped from the top step of the podium, smashed his champagne bottle on the impact, and stepped backward into the podium’s fireworks while holding the broken bottle aloft. Mr. Verstappen and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar doused him with their bottles. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Mr. Norris was unhurt.
The win was the third of the season for Mr. Norris and McLaren, their first since the twelfth round. Mercedes sealed the constructors’ title in Brazil; the season continues in Las Vegas next month.