Mercedes Wins World Championship Title

Rain Plays a Role! Norris Wins on Iconic F1 Circuit

Lando Norris celebrates his victory in São Paulo.(Bild: AFP/MAURO PIMENTEL)

Lando Norris secured the victory on the iconic Formula 1 track in São Paulo. The McLaren driver prevailed in a chaotic race ahead of the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Rain shortly before the end of the race added another layer of excitement. Even before that, the two Mercedes drivers, George Russell and World Champion Kimi Antonelli, had been struggling with problems —but the Constructors’ Championship title was still secured. 

Lando Norris won the Formula 1 Grand Prix of São Paulo in Brazil, just as he did last year. The McLaren driver, who started from pole position, took the win on Sunday at the Interlagos circuit ahead of the Red Bulls driven by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Rain didn’t set in until the finish, but it didn’t spoil the race. With George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, Mercedes secured the Constructors’ Championship just one week after Antonelli’s victory.

For the German automaker, it was its ninth team world championship overall, and the first since 2021. “We had a very strong start to the season, and that’s what ultimately carried us across the finish line. The last few races, however, were very challenging,” explained Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. “I’m proud of the entire team. It took a few years to get back to the top. Not many teams manage to do that. It shows the great work we’ve done here.”

For the dethroned world champion Norris, it was his third win of the season, his 14th overall. “It was a tough race; I didn’t get off to the best start. The most important thing was to stay calm and not make any mistakes. I had the pace when I needed it,” said the Briton. The Formula 1 circus now returns to the U.S., where the next race will take place in Las Vegas in two weeks. After that, races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are on the schedule, though there are still question marks regarding those events due to security concerns stemming from the conflict with Iran. A decision is expected in the coming days on whether Imola will step in to host the season finale.

Dry Start, Wet Finish
The race got off to a rain-free start. Pole-sitter Norris didn’t get off to a good start and was overtaken by Antonelli and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls). Lewis Hamilton (starting 20th) and Verstappen (21st), who started from the back of the grid due to engine penalties, made up numerous positions in the first two laps and quickly worked their way into the top 10. Shortly thereafter, the Red Bull star also overtook Hamilton and was already in seventh place after five laps.

Norris took second place from Lawson. The New Zealander then gradually lost positions and was also overtaken by George Russell, Isack Hadjar, and Verstappen. Meanwhile, Hamilton fell back due to tire problems and was the first driver to pit on lap 15. The record-holding world champion switched from intermediates to slicks and posted significantly faster lap times as a result. Subsequently, the entire field switched to soft tires. As he exited the pits, Russell had a mishap—the Brit spun out at the pit exit and lost several positions.

Antonelli also struggled with his new set of tires; the Italian spun out and surrendered the lead to Norris. Shortly afterward, Hadjar also passed the newly crowned world champion. Antonelli’s next spin allowed Verstappen to move into third place on lap 24. A little more than halfway through the race, the Dutchman was passed by his teammate Hadjar. Up front, Norris gradually pulled away. The second round of pit stops was rendered meaningless shortly afterward, as it began to rain in the final 15 laps, once again causing a flurry of activity in the pit lane. While Antonelli narrowly avoided a crash, Hamilton spun out just before the pit entrance but remained in the race and finished ninth. Nothing changed regarding Norris’s victory or the top three positions; Antonelli and Russell swapped places.