The rain, tire changes, and a series of incidents marked the development of the Brazilian Grand Prix. In this context, Lando Norris took victory in Interlagos, his third of the 2026 season, after dominating much of the race and crossing the finish line with more than 14 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Isack Hadjar completed the podium, while Franco Colapinto finished in 13th place.
The start was favorable for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The newly crowned world champion took advantage of the better traction of the intermediate tires to overtake Norris and take the lead. Liam Lawson also managed to advance and positioned himself behind the Mercedes driver. From the back of the grid, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton began their respective recoveries, while the Alpines lost ground on a track that still had wet sections.
As the asphalt dried, teams began to modify their strategies. Hamilton was one of the first to enter the pits for soft tires, followed by Norris. Antonelli made his stop on lap 18 and managed to maintain the lead, although his calm didn't last long.
Two laps after his stop, the Italian began to report balance issues over the radio and even suspected it could be a suspension problem. Shortly after, he spun at the entrance of the Senna S and lost the lead to Norris. Hadjar also took advantage of the situation to overtake him, while Verstappen, who had started from 21st place, advanced to fourth position.
With Norris increasingly distant, Red Bull decided to use team orders for Verstappen to try to cut the gap before the second stop, which came on lap 45. However, the strategy did not work. Hadjar expressed his dissatisfaction over the radio and questioned what would happen to his position if the Dutchman couldn't overtake the Brit. In the end, the Frenchman did not regain second place.
The race seemed to be on track when, ten laps from the end, rain returned. The precipitation forced drivers to return to the pits for intermediate tires and changed the closing of the competition. George Russell, who had faced issues at the start, was the first to stop. Norris followed him with a 15-second lead over Verstappen, who also entered shortly after. Hadjar and Antonelli completed the tire change.
The new scenario did not alter the top positions: Norris maintained the lead, Verstappen remained second, and Hadjar secured the last podium spot. Russell, for his part, took advantage of the situation to overtake Antonelli and take fourth place.
The Italian, who finished fifth, was under investigation for a maneuver at the pit exit. His Mercedes left the pit lane at the same time Franco Colapinto was entering, in a situation that nearly caused contact between the two. Although the potential penalty was pending resolution, Mercedes secured the Constructors' Championship, something that hadn't happened since the 2021 season, thus claiming their ninth crown.
As for Colapinto, the Argentine managed to recover after falling to 15th place during the race. After the first pit stop, he began to gain positions and reached the top 10 on lap 49, following a wheel-to-wheel battle with Nico Hülkenberg.
However, the Audi driver responded on the next lap and regained the position with a maneuver outside the track limits. Although he was supposed to give the position back to the Argentine, he did not, and both continued racing without changing that situation. Later on, Colapinto also had an intense duel with Arvid Lindblad, who eventually overtook him.
Results of the Brazilian Grand Prix
1st - Lando Norris (McLaren) | +25
2nd - Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | +18
3rd - Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) | +15
4th - George Russell (Mercedes) | +12
5th - Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | +10
6th - Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | +8
7th - Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | +6
8th - Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) | +4
9th - Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | +2
10th - Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) | +1
11th - Arvid Linblad (Racing Bulls) | +0
12th - Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) | +0
13th - FRANCO COLAPINTO (Alpine) | +0
14th - PIERRE GASLY (Alpine) | +0
15th - Alex Albon (Williams) | +0
16th - Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) | +0
17th - Oliver Bearman (Haas) | +0
18th - Sergio Pérez (Cadillac)| +0
19th - Carlos Sainz (Williams) | +0
20th - Rafael Câmara (Haas) | +0
21st - Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) | DNF
22nd - Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) | DNS
Driver Standings after Brazil
1st - Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 390 points [CHAMPION]
