Lando Norris won a wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday 8 November, Sao Paulo time, and Mercedes sealed the constructors’ championship behind him with Russell fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth.
In eastern Australia, the race ran early on Monday 9 November.
Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, 14.602 seconds behind Norris, and Hadjar was third in the other Red Bull, according to the official classification on formula1.com.
For Mercedes, the result settled the title. It is the team’s ninth constructors’ championship and its first since 2021, BBC Sport reported. With Antonelli already confirmed as drivers’ champion, it is also their first drivers’ and constructors’ double since 2020, according to The Guardian.
The ninth title ties Mercedes with Williams as the third most successful constructor, behind Ferrari and McLaren. The team has 12 wins from 20 meetings in the 2026 season, The Guardian reported.
Antonelli handed the credit to the team. “They all deserve it, incredible year by everyone,” he said, The Guardian reported.
Toto Wolff has been team principal for all nine titles, which equals Sir Frank Williams’s record, ABC News reported. Wolff told ABC News: “Frank [Williams] is such an unbelievable icon of the sport, to be tied on constructors’ championships, I never thought it would be possible.”
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How the Race Turned
The win did not come in a straight line. Norris started from pole but lost the lead to Antonelli at the start, then pitted for slicks on lap 16, BBC Sport reported.
On lap 20, Antonelli spun out of the lead at Turn One. He had complained over the radio that the car felt strange under acceleration, according to BBC Sport.
Russell, who started seventh, had his own moment when he spun exiting the pits. Late on, Mercedes ordered the two drivers to swap places, BBC Sport reported.
Then the weather changed. Rain in the final 10 laps forced a switch to intermediates, BBC Sport and The Guardian reported.
Norris covered the 71 laps in 1:35:23.504, according to formula1.com. It was his first win since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, BBC Sport reported.
He spoke to BBC Sport after the race: “The main thing today was that I just kept it cool and I did not make any mistakes. I had the pace when I needed to so it was good. Nice to be back on the top step and what a place to do it as well.”
Norris is the defending world champion, The Guardian noted, and he was plain about what he wants next.
“I just want to win very badly,” he said, according to the paper. He added: “I want to be able to have a car we can fight for world championships with, which we’ve not had throughout this year.”
Verstappen From 21st
Verstappen’s second place came from 21st on the grid. He had taken a grid penalty for a new engine, The Guardian reported.
Red Bull ordered Hadjar to let him by on lap 39, according to BBC Sport. Hadjar still finished third.
Piastri and the Penalties
Oscar Piastri started 10th and finished sixth, ABC News reported.
Lewis Hamilton, in his 400th grand prix, had also taken a grid penalty. He finished ninth from 20th, The Guardian reported.
The order changed after the flag. Antonelli and Leclerc were each given five-second penalties after the race, BBC Sport reported.
Antonelli’s, for an unsafe release, did not change his fifth place. Leclerc dropped to eighth for causing a collision with Lawson, who was promoted to seventh. Hulkenberg was 10th for Audi.
On 29 October, prw looked at how Antonelli could clinch the title in Mexico City. More motorsport, including the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, is in prw’s Sports archive.
Three Rounds, Nothing Left to Settle
Both championships are now decided. After the Sao Paulo round, Antonelli is champion on 390 points, according to formula1.com. Verstappen is second on 279, Russell third on 262 and Hamilton fourth on 261. Leclerc has 249, Norris 246 and Piastri, in seventh, 152.
Mercedes top the constructors’ standings on 652 points, ahead of Ferrari on 510, Red Bull on 415 and McLaren on 398.
Three rounds remain, ABC News reported. The next is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, due to start at 04:00 GMT on Sunday 22 November, according to BBC Sport. In eastern Australia, that is 3pm AEDT on Sunday 22 November.
The places behind Antonelli in the drivers’ standings can still change over those three rounds.
Sources: BBC Sport, “Norris wins gripping race after Antonelli and Russell errors”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/c35yn19r7zkvo); The Guardian, “Dominant Lando Norris powers to victory in São Paulo F1 Grand Prix”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/nov/08/lando-norris-wins-f1-sao-paulo-grand-prix-max-verstappen-kimi-antonelli-lewis-hamilton-mercedes); The Guardian, Kimi Antonelli praises Mercedes after the constructors’ title, 8 November 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/nov/08/kimi-antonelli-mercedes-f1-constructors-win-sao-paulo-grand-prix); ABC News, São Paulo Grand Prix live coverage, 9 November 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-09/f1-live-s%C3%A3o-paulo-grand-prix-oscar-piastri-lando-norris/106998734); Formula 1, 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix race result (https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2026/races/1299/brazil/race-result)
Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Part of the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, home of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, seen from a drone in December 2025.
