Lando Norris was head and shoulders above the rest en route to a dominant São Paulo win. After snatching pole yesterday, Norris lost the lead to Kimi Antonelli off the start. The former world champion held steady in second until lap 20, when Antonelli spun at the first corner and conceded the lead. From that point on, Norris was in command. He had an answer for everything Red Bull threw at him and survived a late race shower to take both his 14th win and 50th career podium. He may have lost his crown, but Norris has just reminded everyone of his undeniable skill.
Behind him, Max Verstappen completed a third consecutive Brazilian comeback. After taking an engine-related penalty and starting only 21st, Verstappen carved his way through the field, making up 16 places in the opening five laps. Some excellent pace, as well as the misfortune of those ahead of him, elevated Verstappen to third. The four-time world champion was let past by his teammate Isack Hadjar on lap 38. Unable to contend with Norris in the dry, Verstappen mounted a late-race charge in the wet but couldn't make any inroads into Norris’ lead. He hung on for second, his twelfth podium of the season.
Hadjar had solid pace throughout; despite a couple of nervous moments in the wet, the Red Bull driver stayed out of the barriers and secured his third podium of the year. A vital result as Red Bull continues its battle with McLaren for third place in the constructors’ championship.
George Russell had an eventful afternoon. Starting seventh after an engine-related grid penalty, Russell tried to pick his way through the field. The Mercedes driver spun in the pit lane after his first stop on lap 17. Unable to get on terms with those ahead of him, Russell was able to find some pace in the wet.
Mercedes ordered Antonelli to let him pass on lap 56 and, despite reporting issues with his car, finished in fourth. Antonelli’s bid for victory ended with that spin. Further handling issues hampered the new world champion and, at the time of writing, Antonelli is under investigation for an unsafe release at his final pit stop on lap 65. Even if he is penalised, fourth and fifth is more than enough to secure the constructors’ title for Mercedes. It's ninth overall and one that draws it level with Williams in third in the all-time rankings.
Oscar Piastri was once again unable to match his teammate and had to make do with sixth ahead of Charles Leclerc. One of the many drivers to incur a parts-related grid penalty, Leclerc was anonymous for the majority of the race. He couldn’t match his teammate in the dry, but the decision to opt for a lengthy middle stint on the softs paid off. As the rain began to fall, Leclerc pitted for intermediates, capitalised on an error from his teammate and prevailed after a lengthy late-race tussle with Liam Lawson to take seventh.
On Saturday, Lawson equalled his best-ever qualifying performance with third. On race day, the Racing Bulls driver leapt up to second off the line, and there was little he could do about the front runners coming through the field; Lawson’s pace was solid and his race craft admirable. Eighth is a solid reward after yet another mature drive.
After taking on new engine components and suffering further engine issues in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton was forced to start 20th. A phenomenal first lap saw Hamilton make up nine places. However, the seven-time world champion’s progress was halted on lap eight when he was asked to give up ninth place to Ollie Bearman, having passed him off track on lap one. Hamilton opted for two sets of soft tyres and had good pace.
However, after staying out for an additional lap in the wet, Hamilton spun at the final corner and slipped to ninth, a disappointing end to his 400th Grand Prix. Nico Hülkenberg received a ten-second penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage while duelling with Franco Colapinto but recovered to take tenth. Arvid Lindblad finished 11th ahead of Fernando Alonso. Colapinto eventually finished 13th ahead of his teammate Pierre Gasly. Alex Albon had a solid run and looked set for a points finish before receiving a five-second penalty for rejoining unsafely on lap 43.
Gabriel Bortoleto capped off a disappointing home race with 16th ahead of Ollie Bearman, Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz. Rafael Câmara survived a couple of wayward moments and finished his first F1 race. Lance Stroll retired with technical issues on lap two, while Valtteri Bottas failed to make the start due to a faulty wheel nut.
With this result, Norris has produced some much-needed morale for both him and McLaren. But with the fight for second in the drivers’ standings still ongoing and the McLaren driver now a possible contender, there’s still plenty more to play for in 2026.
