# Norris masters Interlagos rain as Mercedes seal constructors' crown Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com) Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/other/norris-masters-interlagos-rain-as-mercedes-seal-constructors-crown-2026-11-09-mo Language: en Published: 2026-11-09T03:37:19.334+00:00 Updated: 2026-11-09T03:37:19.379273+00:00 > Norris beat Verstappen by 14.6 seconds in a rain-hit São Paulo Grand Prix. ## TL;DR - Norris beat Verstappen by 14.6 seconds in a rain-hit São Paulo Grand Prix. - Russell and Antonelli finished fourth and fifth to seal Mercedes' ninth constructors' title. - Verstappen charged from 21st on the grid to second, with Hadjar third for Red Bull. ## Key points - Norris beat Verstappen by 14.6 seconds in a rain-hit São Paulo Grand Prix. - Russell and Antonelli finished fourth and fifth to seal Mercedes' ninth constructors' title. - Verstappen charged from 21st on the grid to second, with Hadjar third for Red Bull. Lando Norris won a rain-lashed São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, beating Max Verstappen by 14.6 seconds at Interlagos as Mercedes clinched the 2026 Formula 1 constructors' championship with three races still to run. The McLaren driver started from pole position and controlled a 71-lap race that began in the wet, dried out, and then turned wet again in the closing stages. It was Norris's third win of the season, and his second consecutive triumph in Brazil. Verstappen produced the drive of the day behind him. The Red Bull driver started 21st on the grid and carved through the field to finish second, 14.602 seconds behind Norris, while his team-mate Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third. The result also settled the teams' championship. George Russell finished fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth for Mercedes, enough to secure the constructors' title for the first time since 2021. Mercedes now hold 652 points against Ferrari's 512 and cannot be caught. It completed a title double, one week after Antonelli, at 20, became the youngest drivers' champion in Formula 1 history with four races to spare in Mexico City. ## A race of two weathers The drama began before the lights went out. Antonelli, the new world champion, spun on his reconnaissance lap at Turn 12, but recovered with no lasting damage and made a superb start, jumping pole-sitter Norris to lead into the first corner. Norris eased into Turn 1 and allowed Liam Lawson to sweep around the outside into second, while behind them Lewis Hamilton charged from 20th to ninth by the end of the opening lap. By lap five, Verstappen was already up to eighth. As the track dried, the intermediate tyres began to overheat. Hamilton was the first to gamble on slick tyres on lap 14, and Norris, Russell and Hadjar followed at the end of lap 16. Antonelli and Verstappen stayed out one lap longer, and when the champion rejoined he held the lead by just two seconds. ![Max Verstappen in the Red Bull at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794195421462-jkyiaa-other-inside1-2026-11-09-morning.jpg) The McLaren was quicker on warm tyres, and Norris closed to six tenths by the end of lap 18. Antonelli reported that something felt strange with the car, and at the start of lap 20 he spun at Turn 1 and handed Norris the lead. He ran deep at the same corner on the following lap as well, and his afternoon never fully recovered. From there, Norris managed the race calmly. He built a lead of more than nine seconds, made his second stop at the end of lap 49, and quickly passed Oscar Piastri on his out-lap. When the rain returned in the final 15 laps, he switched back to intermediate tyres at the right moment. "It was a very tough race, very, very tough," Norris said afterwards. "Obviously, not the best of launches off the line, but a lot of challenges today, obviously with the conditions. The main thing today was I just kept it cool and I didn't make any mistakes. And I had the pace when I needed to." ## Verstappen's charge from the back Verstappen's recovery was the other story of the afternoon. The four-time world champion was second by lap 38, when he passed Hadjar at Turn 1, pitted at the end of lap 45, and worked his way back to second. Hadjar held third to complete a Red Bull double podium, a fine result for the Frenchman in only his second season in Formula 1. Behind them, Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, ahead of Charles Leclerc in seventh. Leclerc passed Lawson on the penultimate lap, but was later given a five-second penalty for causing a collision with the Racing Bulls driver. Hamilton finished ninth on his 400th Formula 1 start, and Nico Hulkenberg took the final point in tenth for Audi despite a 10-second penalty. ## Mercedes seal the double For Mercedes, fourth and fifth were more than enough. The team needed to score only three points more than Ferrari to clinch the title, and the Italian team never threatened to prolong the fight, with Leclerc seventh and Hamilton ninth. Russell's afternoon had its own drama. He spun backwards at the pit lane exit after his first stop, glancing the wall as he recovered, and lost crucial time and positions. He fought back through the field and passed his team-mate again in the closing laps once both were on intermediate tyres. ![Formula 1 cars racing at the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794195436536-ta3q8j-other-inside2-2026-11-09-morning.jpg) Antonelli was later given a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release, but he kept fifth place and the result still secured the championship. It was Mercedes' ninth constructors' title, their first since their run of eight straight crowns from 2014 to 2021. Team principal Toto Wolff celebrated with his drivers and staff on a separate podium. Rafael Camara finished 20th on his Formula 1 debut for Haas. Lance Stroll retired for Aston Martin, while Valtteri Bottas never took the start after a cross-threaded wheel nut left the wheel stuck to his Cadillac. For Norris, the victory also strengthened his position in the drivers' standings. He remains sixth overall, 33 points behind second-placed Verstappen, with Antonelli's title already decided. But the win, his 13th in Formula 1, was a reminder that McLaren's reigning world champion can still dominate a Grand Prix weekend when the conditions reward patience and precision. Formula 1 now takes a week off before the final triple-header, beginning with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 20-22. Mercedes arrive in Nevada as champions of both titles, Norris arrives as a back-to-back winner in Brazil, and Verstappen arrives having shown once again that no starting position is too far back for him. Mentions: Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Toto Wolff, Rafael Camara, Valtteri Bottas, Interlagos ## Sources - [formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-beats-verstappen-in-wet-sao-paulo-gp-thriller-as-mercedes-win-constructors-championship.7JN7MXLZf5lk5l0C3gfKGI) - [reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/norris-wins-brazil-mercedes-take-constructors-title-2026-11-08/) - [racer.com](https://racer.com/2026/11/08/norris-stays-ahead-of-weather-twists-in-decisive-sao-paulo-gp-win)