Norris lost the lead at the start to Kimi Antonelli, then recovered as the race moved from intermediates to slicks and back towards wet conditions in the closing laps.
Max Verstappen finished second ahead of Isack Hadjar, giving Red Bull a double podium. Antonelli and George Russell followed in fourth and fifth, enough for Mercedes to mathematically secure the teams’ title.
Antonelli Takes Control in the Wet
All 20 drivers started on intermediates.
Norris launched from pole but could not cover Antonelli into the opening sequence, allowing the Mercedes driver to take the lead.
Liam Lawson also made a strong start and moved into second, while Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen gained heavily from further back.
Hamilton climbed 11 places to ninth on the opening lap. Verstappen also made rapid progress and passed Hamilton on lap four before continuing towards the front.
Antonelli settled quickly into the conditions and opened a gap of around 4.5 seconds over Norris.
Hamilton’s recovery became more complicated after he was judged to have gained an advantage by leaving the track and was told to return a position to Oliver Bearman. Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso later passed the Ferrari as he fell back through the midfield.
Early Slick Gamble Opens the Strategy Window
Hamilton was among the first to push for slicks, telling Ferrari he wanted to stop as the circuit began drying.
He pitted on lap 15. That decision accelerated the crossover across the field, with most drivers following over the next few laps. By lap 20, the field had moved onto soft tyres.
Russell had a difficult moment during the transition and spun in the pit lane, but recovered without significant damage.
Antonelli and Verstappen stayed out longer than most, delaying their stops as the track continued to evolve.
Antonelli Spins Away the Lead
Antonelli remained in control after the first tyre cycle, but his advantage disappeared with a mistake.
The Mercedes driver spun while leading and dropped behind Norris.
Hadjar then passed Antonelli on the following lap, before another off-track moment on lap 24 allowed Verstappen through as well.
Within a handful of laps, Antonelli had gone from controlling the race to running behind Norris, Hadjar and Verstappen.
Norris took advantage immediately.
By the midpoint of the Grand Prix, the McLaren driver had built a lead of approximately 10 seconds over Verstappen.
Second Pit Cycle Resets the Order
The next round of stops began around lap 40.
With more rain forecast, teams had to balance tyre life against the risk of committing too early to another dry-weather set.
Light rain began falling around lap 48. Norris pitted and temporarily handed the lead to Hadjar, who stopped one lap later.
That promoted Antonelli back into first place, but only temporarily as the weather continued to shift.
The intensity of the rain increased with around 10 laps remaining, forcing race control to disable overtaking assistance and pushing teams back towards intermediate tyres.
Hamilton stayed out on softs longer than most and spun before making his stop, narrowly avoiding the barriers.
Norris Regains the Lead as Rain Returns
Once the final tyre changes had played out, Norris emerged back in front.
Verstappen remained second, while Hadjar held third.
The final laps were more controlled than the middle part of the race, with the decisive strategic moves already completed.
Behind the podium battle, Leclerc and Lawson fought closely over seventh, with the Ferrari eventually taking the position.
Norris completed the 71 laps at the front to take victory. Verstappen finished second, with Hadjar third. Antonelli and Russell crossed the line fourth and fifth.
Oscar Piastri finished sixth, ahead of Leclerc, Lawson, Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg.
Mercedes Secures First Constructors’ Title Since 2021
The championship result was confirmed by the points scored by Antonelli and Russell.
Mercedes left Interlagos as 2026 Constructors’ Champion, ending a five-year gap since its previous teams’ title.
The result came without a Mercedes podium.
Antonelli had led the race comfortably in the opening phase before two mistakes reshaped his afternoon, while Russell recovered from his pit-lane spin to finish fifth.
Their combined points were nevertheless enough to settle the championship.
Norris, meanwhile, won a race that moved through several distinct phases rather than one decisive strategic call.
He lost the lead at the start, inherited it when Antonelli spun, protected the advantage through the dry phase and then navigated the return of rain without giving Verstappen a route back into contention.
At Interlagos, Norris took the race win. Mercedes took the championship.
Watch the 2026 São Paulo GP race highlights here.
