Mercedes secured the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship at the São Paulo Grand Prix, according to the source. The team needed to outscore Ferrari by three points to wrap up the title, and with both drivers starting inside the top ten while Ferrari’s pair faced engine penalties and started at the back of the grid, the door was open for Mercedes to clinch at Interlagos.
Lando Norris won the race, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar taking the other two podium positions. However, George Russell finished fourth and Kimi Antonelli finished fifth—the results Mercedes needed to secure the constructors’ title. This came one week after Antonelli clinched the Drivers’ Championship.
The race presented significant challenges for Mercedes. Both Antonelli and Russell encountered difficulties in wet conditions: Antonelli spun out of the lead early, while Russell spun exiting pit lane during a tire change from intermediates to soft tires. Despite stabilizing with both drivers in the top five by Lap 56, conditions deteriorated further.
On Lap 57, heavy rain arrived, and Mercedes warned Antonelli that conditions might require another pit stop for intermediate tires. Antonelli remained competitive, pushing Hadjar for the final podium spot as conditions worsened. On Lap 62, as drivers began to wobble, Norris pitted from the lead to switch to intermediates, followed by Verstappen and then Hadjar and Antonelli.
Mercedes then instructed Antonelli to let Russell through into fourth position, hoping the veteran could pursue a podium finish and give the team a stylish celebration. However, Russell reported issues with his W17 similar to problems Antonelli had experienced earlier. Race control also announced an investigation into whether Antonelli was released unsafely from his final pit stop, though any potential penalty was unlikely to affect the championship result given Antonelli’s substantial lead over Oscar Piastri.
Norris ultimately took the checkered flag as even heavier rain arrived, followed by Verstappen and Hadjar. Russell held fourth while Antonelli crossed fifth. The results gave Mercedes its ninth Constructors’ Championship. Charles Leclerc finished seventh and Lewis Hamilton took ninth.
Key facts
- Mercedes secured the Constructors’ Championship at the São Paulo Grand Prix
- The team needed to outscore Ferrari by three points to clinch the title
- Kimi Antonelli finished fifth and George Russell fourth
- Lando Norris won the race; Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar completed the podium
- This was Mercedes’ ninth Constructors’ Championship
- Antonelli clinched the Drivers’ Championship one week earlier