Norris wins rain-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Mercedes clinch constructors’ title

McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil on 8 November, starting from pole position, in a race that began and ended in rain. Mercedes finished well enough to win the Formula One constructors’ championship, its ninth team title and its first since 2021.

The team title completes a double for Mercedes. A week earlier, its 20-year-old Italian driver Kimi Antonelli became the youngest drivers’ champion in the sport’s history, with four races still to go, Reuters reported.

The race

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished second after starting 21st because of engine penalties. His teammate Isack Hadjar was third. Mercedes’ George Russell came fourth and Antonelli fifth, with the fastest lap. Both Mercedes drivers made costly mistakes after Antonelli had led at the start.

Mercedes needed to outscore Ferrari by only three points to seal the title. Ferrari never came close on the wet track. Charles Leclerc was placed eighth after a penalty after the race, and Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in his 400th Grand Prix.

For Norris

It was the 14th win and 50th podium of Norris’s career, and McLaren’s first win since he took the Dutch Grand Prix in August. Norris, the 2025 world champion, also won in Sao Paulo from pole last year.

“The main thing today was I kept it cool and didn’t make any mistakes,” he said after the race, calling it a very tough afternoon.