Lando Norris has secured his third victory of 2026 during a Brazilian Grand Prix marked by unpredictable weather, outperforming a rejuvenated Max Verstappen while Mercedes clinched the constructors’ championship title.
After regaining the top position from his title-winning successor Kimi Antonelli early on when Antonelli experienced a spin, polesitter Norris resisted Verstappen’s impressive comeback in a race that commenced and concluded under wet conditions, sandwiching a dry interval.
Having narrowly avoided a scare on the way to the grid after sliding onto the grass at the challenging Turn 12, Antonelli successfully overtook polesitter Norris for the lead at Turn 1 as the race commenced in intermediate conditions. Third-place starter Liam Lawson also managed to follow Antonelli into second place.
Fernando Alonso faced the biggest setback, dropping six positions after going wide at Turn 3. Conversely, Lewis Hamilton made significant gains, rising 10 spots to reach 11th place, while Verstappen advanced to 13th after both drivers had started from the back due to engine penalties.
As Antonelli established a five-second lead over Lawson and Norris, Hamilton and Verstappen soon found themselves in close quarters, with Hamilton beginning to struggle on his worn rear tyres. The seven-time world champion could not follow Verstappen past Oscar Piastri and into the top 10; instead, Alonso from Aston Martin passed Piastri.
Hamilton urged his team to pit him for slicks, and by lap 15 of 71, his request was granted as he became the first driver to switch. His immediate pace on the dry tyres prompted a series of pitstops across the grid as the entire field transitioned to softs, with Antonelli and Verstappen taking one additional lap compared to the other front-runners.
Lando Norris, McLaren, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Manuel Eletto / Getty Images
Following that sequence, Antonelli maintained his lead over Norris, Isack Hadjar, and returning star Verstappen, who both managed to surpass Lawson. Russell, on the other hand, lost ground due to a spin during the pit exit, narrowly avoiding damage but slipping behind Piastri and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Antonelli began to face increasing pressure from Norris, voicing concerns about a suspension issue causing his car to pull to one side. This became evident dramatically when he spun out at Turn 1, allowing Norris to seize the lead but managed to rejoin the race.
Antonelli’s issues with handling persisted as Red Bull teammates Hadjar and Verstappen easily overtook him for podium positions, with Hadjar even waving Verstappen past on lap 38.
After falling five seconds behind Hadjar, Antonelli managed to stabilize his position in fourth, maintaining a comfortable gap to Piastri, Lawson, Russell, and Hulkenberg, while neither Ferrari driver made significant headway from the midfield.
From starting at the back, Verstappen suddenly found himself in second place shortly after the race reached halftime, with a nine-second gap to leader Norris. Verstappen made a second pit stop on lap 46 to switch to a new set of softs, while Hadjar remained optimistic about completing the race without another stop.
As light rain began to fall with 23 laps remaining, McLaren opted for a second pit stop for Norris to switch to softs. Hadjar rethought the one-stop strategy and also pitted on lap 51, leaving Antonelli in the lead as Mercedes opted to gamble on the prospect of more rain or a safety car. However, with the newly titled world champion losing over a second per lap, Mercedes soon retracted that strategy with a lap 54 pit stop for fresh slicks.
As the strategies aligned again, Norris effectively matched every move Verstappen attempted as he defended a seven-second lead, with Hadjar another eight seconds behind in third place.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
However, rain resumed on lap 62, prompting a collective shift to intermediates within two laps, with both Norris and Verstappen coming in on lap 63, while Hamilton managed to spin on slicks just before entering the pits.
Unfazed, Norris skillfully navigated the slippery concluding laps to secure his third victory of the year, while Verstappen claimed second place, finishing 14 seconds behind the McLaren driver; Hadjar completed the podium another nine seconds later.
George Russell finished fourth, followed closely by Antonelli, as both cars overcame balance issues in the closing stages, granting Mercedes their ninth constructors’ championship title, their first since 2021.
Piastri took sixth for McLaren, ahead of Leclerc and Lawson, who continues to strive for his F1 future with Racing Bulls but couldn’t fend off Leclerc in the final laps.
Similar to Leclerc, Hamilton could not maintain a solid comeback, concluding the race in ninth, while Hulkenberg secured the final point in tenth place despite receiving a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Rafael Camara finished 20th and last on his home debut as Esteban Ocon’s replacement, while Lance Stroll retired for the 14th time this season with the Aston Martin. Valtteri Bottas was unable to start due to a cross-threaded right-rear wheel nut on his Cadillac.
F1 Brazilian GP results
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– The Autosport.com Team
