F1 Brazilian GP: Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title

Lando Norris has snared his third win of 2026 in a mixed weather Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, defeating a resurgent Max Verstappen while Mercedes claimed the world constructors' championship.

After reclaiming the lead from his world champion successor Kimi Antonelli early on when he spun off, polesitter Norris thwarted Verstappen's latest stunning Brazil comeback in a race which both started and finished in the wet, bookending a dry spell.

Having survived a scare on the laps to the grid when he slid onto the grass at the tricky Turn 12, Antonelli picked off polesitter Norris for the lead into Turn 1 as the race started in intermediate conditions. Third-place starter Liam Lawson also followed the Mercedes through into second.

Alonso was the biggest loser as he dropped six places by going wide at Turn 3. Lewis Hamilton went the opposite direction, gaining 10 places to sweep into 11th, while Verstappen jumped to 13th after both drivers had started at the back of the grid with engine penalties.

As Antonelli built a five-second buffer to Lawson and Norris, Hamilton and Verstappen soon found each other, with Hamilton starting to struggle on worn rear tyres. The seven-time world champion couldn't follow Verstappen past Oscar Piastri and into the top 10, the Ferrari being passed by Aston Martin's Alonso instead.

Hamilton urged his team to bring him in for slicks and eventually got his wish on lap 15 of 71, being the first driver to make the switch. His immediate speed on the dry weather tyre triggered a flurry of pitstops across the grid as the entire field switched to softs as well, Antonelli and Verstappen waiting one lap longer than the other frontrunners.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Manuel Eletto / Getty Images

After that shuffle, Antonelli kept the lead from Norris, Isack Hadjar and comeback hero Verstappen, who both made their way past Lawson. Russell, however, lost out by spinning in the pit exit, being fortunate enough to escape damage but dropping behind Piastri and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg.

Antonelli came under increasing pressure from Norris, reporting a problem with the suspension that made his car pull to one side. That became apparent in dramatic fashion as he spun off the track in Turn 1, releasing Norris into the lead but being able to rejoin.

Antonelli's handling woes continued as Red Bull duo Hadjar and Verstappen easily worked their way past into the podium positions, with Hadjar waving Verstappen by on lap 38.

After dropping five seconds behind Hadjar, Antonelli was able to stabilise things in fourth with a healthy buffer to Piastri, Lawson, Russell and Hulkenberg, while neither Ferrari driver was able to make much progress from the middle of the pack.

From starting at the rear, Verstappen suddenly found himself in second place just after halfway, with a nine second deficit to race leader Norris. Verstappen pulled the trigger on a second pitstop on lap 46 for a new set of softs, while Hadjar was bullish on making it to the end without stopping again.

As a light drizzle hit the track with 23 laps to go, McLaren pressed ahead with a second pitstop to softs for Norris. Hadjar abandoned the one-stop plan with a pitstop on lap 51 in response, leaving Antonelli in the lead as Mercedes decided to gamble on heavier rain or a safety car. But with the newly crowned world champion losing over a second per lap, Mercedes soon abandoned that plan with a lap 54 pitstop for new slicks.

As strategies converged again, Norris continued matching whatever Verstappen could throw at him as he defended a seven-second gap, with Hadjar another eight seconds in arrears in third.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

But the heavens started opening again on lap 62, which triggered a mass move to intermediates within the space of two laps, Norris and Verstappen both peeling in on lap 63 as Hamilton survived a spin on slicks right before pitting.

Unperturbed, Norris coolly controlled the treacherous final laps to snare his third win of the campaign, with Verstappen settling for second 14 seconds behind the McLaren driver, while Hadjar third another nine seconds behind.

Russell was fourth ahead of Antonelli, both cars overcoming late balance woes to earn Mercedes its ninth constructors' championship, its first such trophy since 2021.

Piastri was sixth for McLaren ahead of Leclerc and a valiant Lawson, who continues fighting for his F1 future with Racing Bulls but was unable to keep Leclerc behind in the closing laps.

Like Leclerc, Hamilton was unable to sustain a genuine comeback as he settled for ninth, with Hulkenberg taking the final point in 10th despite a 10-secondpenalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Rafael Camara finished 20th and last on his home debut as Esteban Ocon's replacement, as Lance Stroll retired for the 14th time this season in the Aston Martin. Valtteri Bottas did not make the start due to a cross-threaded right-rear wheel nut on his Cadillac.

F1 Brazilian GP results

RACE

All Stats

 

Cla	Driver	#		Laps	Time	Interval	km/h	Pits	Points	Retirement	Chassis	Engine
1	L. Norris McLaren	1		71	-			3	25		McLaren	Mercedes
2	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	3		71	+14.602 14.602	14.602		3	18		Red Bull	Red Bull
3	I. Hadjar Red Bull Racing	6		71	+24.485 24.485	9.883		3	15		Red Bull	Red Bull
4	G. Russell Mercedes	63		71	+33.991 33.991	9.506		2	12		Mercedes	Mercedes
5	A. Antonelli Mercedes	12		71	+36.017 36.017	2.026		3	10		Mercedes	Mercedes
6	O. Piastri McLaren	81		71	+56.475 56.475	20.458		3	8		McLaren	Mercedes
7	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		71	+1'13.586 1'13.586	17.111		2	6		Ferrari	Ferrari
8	L. Lawson Racing Bulls	30		71	+1'15.402 1'15.402	1.816		3	4		RB	Red Bull
9	L. Hamilton Ferrari	44		70	1 lap			3	2		Ferrari	Ferrari
10	N. Hulkenberg Audi	27		70	1 lap			3	1		Audi	Audi
11	A. Lindblad Racing Bulls	41		70	1 lap			3			RB	Red Bull
12	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		70	1 lap			3			Aston Martin	Honda
13	F. Colapinto Alpine	43		70	1 lap			3			Alpine	Mercedes
14	P. Gasly Alpine	10		70	1 lap			3			Alpine	Mercedes
15	A. Albon Williams	23		70	1 lap			3			Williams	Mercedes
16	G. Bortoleto Audi	5		70	1 lap			3			Audi	Audi
17	O. Bearman Haas F1 Team	87		70	1 lap			3			Haas	Ferrari
18	S. Perez Cadillac F1 Team	11		69	2 laps			2			Cadillac	Ferrari
19	C. Sainz Williams	55		69	2 laps			3			Williams	Mercedes
20	R. Câmara Haas F1 Team	51		69	2 laps			3			Haas	Ferrari
dnf	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		30	31 laps			2		Retirement	Aston Martin	Honda
dnf	V. Bottas Cadillac F1 Team	77		0	71 laps					Retirement	Cadillac	Ferrari
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