Lando Norris claimed victory for McLaren in a dramatic 2026 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar as Ferrari endured another difficult afternoon at Interlagos. Despite an impressive recovery through the field, Charles Leclerc could finish only seventh, while Lewis Hamilton crossed the line ninth after a race complicated by changing weather conditions.
Max Verstappen delivered one of the standout performances of the afternoon, recovering from the back of the grid to secure a crucial podium for Red Bull. Mercedes, meanwhile, finished just outside the top three with George Russell and newly crowned world champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who experienced a particularly challenging race. The result also secured Mercedes its first Constructors’ Championship since 2021.
Brazilian GP 2026: Lando Norris triumphs after a dramatic race at Interlagos
At the start of the Grand Prix, the air temperature stood at 26°C, while the track temperature was recorded at 15°C. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were scheduled to start from 21st and 20th respectively following power unit changes. Charles Leclerc lined up 13th and George Russell seventh after both drivers also changed engine components.
Despite the absence of rain at Interlagos, every driver opted to start on intermediate tyres. Before the formation lap, Valtteri Bottas encountered problems with his Cadillac and was unable to make his way onto the starting grid, forcing him to remain in the pits.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli immediately took the lead at the start, but one of the most remarkable opening laps came from Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion gained an astonishing 11 positions within the first few corners, climbing to ninth. Liam Lawson also overtook Lando Norris to move into second place.
Max Verstappen made an equally impressive getaway, gaining ten places on the opening lap. Charles Leclerc, however, lost a position and dropped to 15th.
At the beginning of lap three, Max Verstappen moved into tenth after overtaking Oliver Bearman before passing Lewis Hamilton shortly afterwards. By lap five, the Dutchman had also overtaken Oscar Piastri and Alexander Albon, moving up to seventh.
Ferrari struggles as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc lose ground
On lap six, Liam Lawson lost positions to Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar, temporarily dropping out of the podium places. George Russell also overtook the Racing Bulls driver, while Max Verstappen continued his progress by passing Nico Hülkenberg to move into sixth.
Meanwhile, the two Ferrari drivers were experiencing increasing difficulties. Lewis Hamilton dropped to 12th, with Charles Leclerc immediately behind. The Monegasque subsequently overtook his team-mate, who also lost a position to Fernando Alonso.
At the beginning of lap 12, Andrea Kimi Antonelli led the race, with Lando Norris seven seconds behind and George Russell nine seconds adrift. Isack Hadjar occupied fourth, ahead of Max Verstappen, who had already recovered to fifth.
Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to switch to slick tyres on lap 15, with Ferrari choosing the soft compound. The British driver’s tyres appeared more competitive than the intermediates, prompting the rest of the field to begin making their own stops.
George Russell then suffered a costly incident, spinning at the pit exit and losing several positions.
Following the pit-stop sequence, Lando Norris closed rapidly on Andrea Kimi Antonelli. At the beginning of lap 19, the gap between the leading pair was just one second. Behind them were the two Red Bulls, with Isack Hadjar third and Max Verstappen fourth.
Ferrari remained well down the order, with Lewis Hamilton running 11th and Charles Leclerc 13th. The difficult opening phase highlighted how challenging the afternoon had become for the Maranello team, despite both drivers having shown opportunities to recover positions.
Antonelli’s problems hand Norris the lead as Verstappen closes in
Andrea Kimi Antonelli reported suspension problems and spun at Turn 1 on lap 20, allowing Lando Norris to take the lead. The newly crowned world champion lost another position on the following lap when Isack Hadjar moved into second.
On lap 24, Andrea Kimi Antonelli ran wide again at Turn 1 and was overtaken by Max Verstappen, who climbed into third place.
Ferrari’s difficulties continued, with Charles Leclerc dropping as low as 14th after being overtaken by Pierre Gasly.
At the beginning of lap 30, Lando Norris maintained the lead with an advantage of five seconds over Isack Hadjar and eight seconds over Max Verstappen. George Russell had recovered to seventh following his pit-exit incident, while Lewis Hamilton returned to the points-paying positions by overtaking Arvid Lindblad for ninth.
On lap 38, Max Verstappen moved ahead of Isack Hadjar following a team order. The four-time world champion had already closed to within approximately one second of his team-mate before the position change.
One lap later, Lewis Hamilton was again the first to make a pit stop, this time for his second tyre change. Ferrari fitted another set of soft tyres, and the British driver rejoined in 14th position.
Pit-stop strategy reshuffles the order at Interlagos
The leading positions remained unchanged over the following laps until Max Verstappen stopped for fresh soft tyres on lap 46. Lewis Hamilton gradually recovered to 11th, while George Russell overtook Liam Lawson to claim sixth.
On lap 50, race leader Lando Norris came into the pits and returned to the circuit in fourth place, still ahead of Max Verstappen.
Isack Hadjar stopped one lap later, handing the lead to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had yet to complete his second pit stop.
The Mercedes driver eventually stopped on lap 54, returning to the track in fifth position. During the same lap, Isack Hadjar overtook George Russell to move into third.
For Ferrari, the challenge was not simply recovering positions but also managing tyre performance as the conditions changed. The contrasting starting positions, recoveries and finishing results can be examined through the Ferrari qualifying and race performance statistics.
Rain returns as Ferrari’s Brazilian GP becomes even more difficult
Light rain began falling at Interlagos, creating further difficulties for Charles Leclerc, whose soft tyres were approaching 40 laps of use.
The Monegasque was overtaken by Liam Lawson for seventh position before losing another place to Lewis Hamilton, who was running immediately behind him.
As lap 60 approached, the rain intensified, bringing another major strategic decision for the teams. George Russell became the first driver to switch back to intermediate tyres on lap 62, followed by Charles Leclerc.
Race leader Lando Norris also stopped for intermediates, with Max Verstappen making the same choice. Isack Hadjar and Andrea Kimi Antonelli subsequently followed suit.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, remained on the soft compound as conditions deteriorated and spun on the wet track. The Ferrari driver escaped without consequences and immediately returned to the pits to switch to wet-weather tyres.
The changing conditions underlined the tyre-management challenges at Interlagos, where the combination of rain and the circuit’s demanding characteristics had already raised concerns ahead of the race. These factors were examined in the Brazilian GP tyre and weather analysis.
Brazilian GP final results: Leclerc P7, Hamilton P9 as Mercedes secures F1 title
With five laps remaining, Lando Norris retained the lead, holding an advantage of around 12 seconds over Max Verstappen and 11 seconds over Isack Hadjar. George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were reported in fifth and sixth positions respectively, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton occupied eighth and ninth.
Lando Norris ultimately completed the race victory ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, securing a McLaren win at Interlagos after a Grand Prix featuring changing conditions, spins and several strategic decisions.
George Russell finished fourth ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in fifth, with Oscar Piastri completing the top six. Charles Leclerc took seventh for Ferrari, followed by Liam Lawson in eighth, Lewis Hamilton in ninth and Nico Hülkenberg in tenth.
For Ferrari, the result represented another disappointing Grand Prix, with neither driver able to fight for a podium despite starting the race with opportunities to recover through the field. Lewis Hamilton’s remarkable opening lap ultimately produced only ninth place, while Charles Leclerc also struggled to make sustained progress.
The Brazilian Grand Prix additionally confirmed Mercedes as Formula 1 Constructors’ World Champion for the first time since 2021, completing a successful championship campaign for the German manufacturer.
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