Another impressive return from Verstappen, but Norris in a league of his own
After qualifying, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were in agreement: fighting their way through the field at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace would be considerably more difficult with the 2026 cars than in previous years.
There is no shortage of arguments to support this point of view: more DRS, an overtaking mode which would not be particularly powerful on this circuit and an MGU-K deployment strategy which would be the same for all drivers.
Nevertheless, Verstappen once again cut through the field like a hot knife through butter, as he did so often in Sao Paulo. It was another impressive comeback, just as it produced in 2016, 2024 and 2025. It earned Verstappen the Driver of the Day award, but not the victory on this occasion.
That’s because one man was untouchable at Interlagos: last year’s world champion. Lando Norris had already taken pole position on Saturday, and although George Russell felt he had been faster that day, there was absolutely no doubt that Norris was superior on Sunday. Norris was in a league of his own for the majority of this run. Kimi Antonelli certainly managed to take the lead at the start, but Norris was impeccable from then on: wet or dry, he mastered all the conditions, highlighting his evolution into a very mature driver.
-Ronald Vording
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Mercedes keeps its promise
Five years after last finishing at the top of Formula 1, Mercedes reclaimed both championships with three races remaining – an exceptional feat in the first season of a major regulatory overhaul, especially as the team finished fourth in the constructors’ standings in 2024.
Mercedes dominated from the start, delivering on the promises of its new car. But its advantage gradually eroded, with Red Bull making significant development progress and McLaren and Ferrari also closing the gap. This could be a warning sign heading into 2027.
Nonetheless, the team’s major upgrade at Sepang ultimately paid off, although it was more difficult to exploit. Mercedes won at Austin and could have repeated that success at Interlagos if Antonelli had not encountered problems after his pit stop. It may not have been quite the way team boss Toto Wolff wanted to seal the title – but the season itself was more than impressive.
– José Carlos de Celis
Hamilton and Leclerc have cleared things up, but Ferrari still has other issues to resolve
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix could hardly have been more different for Ferrari than it was a week ago. In Mexico, the Scuderia had the most competitive package of all, but a potential double was wasted in a way that has already been the subject of much discussion and debate.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Thursday evening, Frédéric Vasseur was finally able to sit down with his drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc and make them understand that their personal interests must never again take precedence over those of Maranello’s 2,000 employees. It remains to be seen how effective that conversation was, but at Interlagos Ferrari’s problems were of a different nature altogether.
Ferrari struggled to find rhythm in Sao Paulo. This was already the case on Friday, when Vasseur recognized the balance problems of the team car. Sunday didn’t go much better. Hamilton’s start was impressive, but then things went downhill. Ferrari has never been in contention for podium places, and given that Verstappen made a successful comeback, the grid penalties don’t fully explain that.
Leclerc and Hamilton finished seventh and ninth respectively, demonstrating that Ferrari still has weaknesses that need to be addressed for next year, notably the lack of top speed which made their fight in the peloton anything but easy.
-Ronald Vording
This time, Russell can’t blame bad luck
George Russell has plenty of reasons to be frustrated with his season. He arrived in Brazil talking about the problems he has encountered in 14 of the 20 Grands Prix so far, and Saturday added another episode to the list as he felt a call from Mercedes to abandon his second Q3 flight denied him the chance to fight for pole.
But what happened out of the pits on Sunday was up to him. Coming up from seventh to third place after receiving a grid penalty, the Briton was in contention for the podium when he spun at the exit of the pits after swapping the intermediates for softs, finding himself in the wrong direction.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
In Russell’s defense, this section of the tricky Interlagos pit exit was still wet, but it appears nothing is going well for the Briton this year. He recovered to run a strong race afterward, but there was an opportunity to do a lot more on Sunday.
–Pol Hermoso
Interlagos staying in F1 is great news
A new deal with Formula 1 ensures Interlagos will remain on the calendar until at least 2035 – and that must surely be exciting news for fans of the sport around the world. This is certainly more welcome than a new destination on yet another urban track with concrete walls as track boundaries.
Yes, expanding into new territories must be important for F1 as one of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, but keeping classics like Interlagos on the calendar must be a priority.
The Sao Paulo circuit is a classic for many reasons, including the unpredictable weather conditions that often turn races upside down. This year’s Grand Prix wasn’t the best edition of the race, but it was still much more entertaining than some of the other races we’ve attended this year.
-Oleg Karpov
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