Ferrari’s disastrous 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix exposed a fundamental weakness in the SF-26 that went far beyond questionable strategy decisions. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggled with poor race pace, a severe straight-line speed deficit and costly incidents as the Scuderia collected just six points at Interlagos. The telemetry provides a particularly revealing explanation: on comparable laps, Charles Leclerc lost 0.49 seconds to the leading teams, including 0.38 seconds on the straights alone.
While Lando Norris claimed victory, Max Verstappen recovered from 21st on the grid to finish second and Mercedes secured its ninth Constructors’ Championship with three races remaining, Ferrari was left confronting another difficult weekend. The Italian team scored just six points compared with Mercedes’ 22, and its problems began long before Lewis Hamilton’s late spin or Charles Leclerc’s five-second penalty. The underlying performance of the car had already placed both drivers at a significant disadvantage.
Brazilian GP results: Lando Norris wins as Mercedes secures constructors’ title
Lando Norris won the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix in 1:35:23.504, finishing 14.602 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, who had started from 21st position. Isack Hadjar completed the podium, 24.485 seconds behind the winner.
George Russell finished fourth, followed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg. The seven-time world champion was lapped during an extremely difficult afternoon for Ferrari.
Mercedes collected 22 points and mathematically secured its ninth Constructors’ Championship, three races before the end of the season.
The race featured plenty of drama but no Safety Car intervention. Grid penalties reshuffled the starting order, the race began on a wet circuit, the asphalt subsequently dried and rain returned towards the finish. Drivers effectively faced three different track conditions within a single Grand Prix.
Four major stories emerged. Lando Norris won without consistently dominating the lap-time charts. Mercedes possessed race-winning pace but finished fourth and fifth. Max Verstappen recovered 19 positions. Ferrari, meanwhile, lost the competitive battle primarily through the limitations of its car, even before its strategic decisions compounded the situation.
A disrupted starting grid and changing weather transform the Brazilian GP
The grid had been extensively reshuffled by power unit component penalties. Max Verstappen started 21st, Lewis Hamilton 20th and Sergio Pérez near the back. Charles Leclerc dropped from fourth to 14th, while George Russell fell from second to seventh. Valtteri Bottas did not even make the start.
At the front, Lando Norris had secured pole position in wet conditions, giving him a clear view of the damp asphalt ahead.
Race control indicated an 80% probability of rain, so the drivers started on Intermediate tyres. Grip was immediately classified as low, and Overtake Mode was disabled. Andrea Kimi Antonelli made an excellent getaway to take the lead, while Lando Norris dropped to third behind Liam Lawson. At the end of the opening lap, the order was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson, Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, George Russell and Nico Hülkenberg.
Further back, Lewis Hamilton produced a spectacular start, climbing from 20th to ninth. Max Verstappen advanced from 21st to 13th, while Charles Leclerc slipped from 14th to 15th. The opening lap also produced several investigations. Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon were reported for starting outside their designated grid positions, but the stewards took no further action.
Lewis Hamilton was also investigated after leaving the track at Turn 5 and gaining an advantage. The investigation began on lap six and concluded on lap eight without a penalty.
How Interlagos evolved from a wet circuit to a much faster dry track
The most important factor throughout the race was the changing track surface.
On Intermediate tyres, the field initially recorded laps in the 1:28 range, with a median of 1:28.05 on lap four.
As the asphalt dried, drivers switched to Soft tyres between laps 14 and 17. Lap times then improved dramatically, with median figures of 1:20.6 on lap 20, 1:16.7 on lap 30 and 1:14.2 by lap 53.
That represented an improvement of 6.3 seconds across 33 laps and almost 14 seconds compared with the early wet-weather running. Ambient temperatures remained around 16°C, with humidity exceeding 80%.
However, the conditions changed again from lap 54 as rain returned. The median lap time increased to 1:16.9 on lap 58, and drivers switched back to Intermediates between laps 59 and 62. Lap times subsequently settled at approximately 1:25.
The lead also changed hands during these phases. Andrea Kimi Antonelli remained ahead until lap 19, before Lando Norris overtook him on lap 20. The Mercedes driver briefly returned to the front during the pit-stop sequence between laps 50 and 53, but Lando Norris subsequently regained control and remained ahead until the chequered flag.
Brazilian GP tyre strategy: Why old Soft tyres became a major risk
Only Intermediate and Soft tyres were used during the race.
Following qualifying, Pirelli had identified a two-stop Soft-Soft-Medium strategy as the theoretically quickest option, approximately three seconds faster than a strategy involving all three dry-weather compounds. The manufacturer also estimated a 60% probability of rain.
In practice, nobody used the Medium compound. Rain arrived, and with track temperatures around 25°C, the Soft tyres lasted considerably longer than expected.
Seventeen of the 21 drivers followed an Intermediate-Soft-Soft-Intermediate sequence, involving three pit stops. Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Sergio Pérez attempted to save a stop.
Charles Leclerc and George Russell kept the same Soft tyres for 45 laps, from lap 17 to lap 61, while Sergio Pérez completed 44 laps on the compound. All three changed tyres only after the rain had returned.
Around lap 44, team radio discussions increasingly focused on whether drivers could reach the finish without another stop. Max Verstappen indicated that he could not continue to the end and stopped on lap 45. Similar discussions took place with Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris, although the McLaren driver pitted on lap 49 and Isack Hadjar followed on lap 50.
Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Sergio Pérez therefore approached the return of the rain with the oldest Soft tyres among the leading runners.
Until lap 53, the gamble remained reasonably effective.
On lap 52, Isack Hadjar recorded a 1:12.877 with two-lap-old Soft tyres, while Lando Norris completed a 1:12.983 with tyres three laps old. Max Verstappen recorded a 1:13.476 on seven-lap-old Softs.
George Russell and Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, recorded 1:14.127 and 1:14.230 respectively on Soft tyres that were already 36 laps old.
The deficit was approximately 1.25 seconds per lap compared with fresh rubber. Significant, certainly, but not necessarily enough to make the strategy uncompetitive.
Charles Leclerc loses almost 14 seconds as rain returns
The situation changed dramatically when rain returned to Interlagos.
Between laps 56 and 60, Charles Leclerc lost an average of 2.78 seconds per lap to Lando Norris. George Russell lost 1.82 seconds per lap, while Max Verstappen, running Soft tyres between 11 and 15 laps old, lost 0.87 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton’s average deficit during the same phase was 0.74 seconds per lap, while Isack Hadjar lost just 0.48 seconds. Across five laps, Charles Leclerc surrendered almost 14 seconds, equivalent to more than half the time required for a pit stop. Drivers with younger Soft tyres lost less than five seconds over the same period.
Ferrari’s decision to extend the stint had reduced the need for an additional stop, but the worsening conditions made the ageing tyres increasingly costly. The weather forecasts were only partly helpful. On lap 55, Lando Norris was informed that rain could continue for approximately ten minutes, with a possible intensification around lap 65.
By lap 58, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was discussing the point at which increasing water levels would make Intermediate tyres necessary.
Ultimately, the decisive pit stops took place between laps 59 and 62, earlier than the potential worsening around lap 65 mentioned over the radio.
Those who delayed their decisions faced the greatest consequences.
Brazilian GP race pace analysis: Ferrari significantly slower than Mercedes and McLaren
To understand the genuine performance differences between the cars, the most useful comparison involves median lap times excluding pit stops, reducing the influence of traffic and in-lap or out-lap effects.
During the dry phase between laps 25 and 47, when every driver was using Soft tyres, George Russell established the benchmark with a median lap time of 1:14.945.
Oscar Piastri followed just 0.03 seconds behind, with Lando Norris at +0.05 and Andrea Kimi Antonelli at +0.06.
Max Verstappen was 0.22 seconds off the benchmark, while Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar were both 0.47 seconds behind. Charles Leclerc was considerably further back at +0.66 seconds per lap. The first four drivers were separated by only six hundredths of a second. Over 23 laps, that difference amounted to approximately 1.4 seconds, illustrating how closely matched the leading Mercedes and McLaren cars were.
By comparison, Charles Leclerc’s deficit of 0.66 seconds per lap represented approximately 15 seconds across the same distance.
At team level, McLaren established a median of 1:14.984. Mercedes was just 0.01 seconds slower, followed by Red Bull at +0.26, Ferrari at +0.53 and Racing Bulls at +0.78. The figures confirm that Ferrari was significantly less competitive than the leading teams over sustained dry-weather running.
The opening wet phase produced an even more concerning picture.
Between laps four and 14 on Intermediate tyres, Andrea Kimi Antonelli led the comparison with a median of 1:26.322. George Russell followed at +0.33 seconds, Lando Norris at +0.51, Max Verstappen at +0.58, Isack Hadjar at +0.81 and Oscar Piastri at +1.23.
Lewis Hamilton was 2.14 seconds per lap behind the benchmark, while Charles Leclerc was 2.24 seconds slower. Across approximately ten laps, that meant both Ferrari drivers had already lost more than 20 seconds before the circuit had fully dried.
This was not simply a matter of Ferrari making the wrong strategic calls. The car lacked competitive pace in conditions where the strongest teams were able to perform consistently.
Why Lando Norris won despite not having the fastest car in every phase
Lando Norris’s victory was built on consistency rather than outright domination.
He ranked third for pace during the opening Intermediate phase and third again during the dry-weather running. Between laps 56 and 60, as rain returned, he ranked second, before placing third on the final Intermediate stint between laps 63 and 70, just 0.19 seconds behind Isack Hadjar.
He was never the clear fastest driver across every phase, but he remained competitive whenever the circuit changed. Oscar Piastri experienced a more difficult afternoon. Starting tenth, the Australian finished sixth, 56.475 seconds behind the winner.
He lost two positions during his lap-51 pit stop, having already suffered a slower first stop than his team-mate and Isack Hadjar. The respective pit-stop times were 25.735 seconds, 24.014 seconds and 24.203 seconds.
Red Bull placed two drivers on the podium, with Max Verstappen also recording the fastest pit stop of the race at 23.234 seconds on lap 45. Isack Hadjar started fifth and finished third, having surrendered second place to Max Verstappen on lap 38.
Liam Lawson started third and ran second after the opening lap, eventually finishing seventh for Racing Bulls following Charles Leclerc’s penalty. Arvid Lindblad finished 11th, narrowly missing out on points.
Mercedes wins the championship despite costly Brazilian GP mistakes
Mercedes secured the Constructors’ Championship despite a race in which both drivers made significant errors.
George Russell spun between laps 16 and 17 on his pit out-lap, dropping from fourth to tenth before recovering through the field.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, spun at Turn 1 around lap 20, losing the lead to Lando Norris. Within five laps, the Italian had fallen from first to fourth. Tyre management was another challenge for Mercedes. As early as lap seven, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was advised to find water on the circuit to cool his rear tyres.
On lap 22, he reported that the car was pulling to one side under acceleration and continuing to behave unusually. He also had a lap time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 1. Despite those difficulties, Andrea Kimi Antonelli recorded the fastest lap of the entire race on lap 55, completing a 1:12.689 on Soft tyres fitted two laps earlier.
The pit lane produced another complication on lap 62, when Mercedes released the Italian driver ahead of Franco Colapinto. The stewards imposed a five-second penalty, although it did not change the final classification.
George Russell continued to struggle with Intermediate tyre temperatures. On lap 65, he asked whether the problem was affecting everyone, and by lap 68 both Mercedes drivers were reporting similar balance concerns.
After the race, George Russell described the afternoon as an adventure and thanked the team for making it through the difficulties while also securing the championship.
Ferrari’s Brazilian GP disaster: The SF-26 lacked race pace before strategy became a factor
Ferrari arrived at Sunday’s race already facing a major disadvantage, with Charles Leclerc starting 14th and Lewis Hamilton 20th.
Although the team gained ten positions overall on the opening lap, with Lewis Hamilton gaining eleven and Charles Leclerc losing one, the underlying performance problems quickly became apparent. Between laps 18 and 24, on the first set of Soft tyres, Charles Leclerc was still 1.73 seconds behind the fastest benchmark, while Lewis Hamilton trailed by 1.80 seconds.
The pattern closely resembled Ferrari’s difficulties during practice, when the SF-26 had shown more promise over a single lap than during sustained race simulations. The warning signs had already emerged from Ferrari’s Brazilian GP long-run analysis, which suggested that the Italian team would struggle to match the strongest competitors during the race.
However, the race data provided an even clearer explanation of the performance deficit.
Ferrari telemetry reveals 0.38-second loss on Interlagos straights alone
The most revealing evidence comes from a comparison of laps 32 and 33, when the leading cars were running Soft tyres between 15 and 17 laps old, the circuit was dry and traffic was relatively limited.
Against the average performance of McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes, Charles Leclerc lost 0.49 seconds per lap.
Of that deficit, 0.38 seconds came from the straights alone. The remaining losses were comparatively small: 0.05 seconds through medium-speed corners, 0.06 seconds through high-speed corners and effectively nothing through slow-speed corners.
In other words, approximately 78% of the measured deficit came from the straight-line sections. The speed measurements reinforced this finding. Between laps 25 and 52, Ferrari recorded a median speed of approximately 316 km/h at the start-finish line, compared with roughly 324 km/h for McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.
That difference of eight to nine kilometres per hour represents more than two metres per second at those speeds. Ferrari had already been losing approximately one tenth of a second on the straights during practice, but the disadvantage became considerably more pronounced in race conditions.
These figures illustrate the scale of the SF-26’s straight-line performance problem. However, recorded speed differences alone do not establish the precise contribution of engine performance, aerodynamic drag or energy deployment.
Readers can explore the speed measurements in greater detail through the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison, which allows recorded maximum speeds to be compared across drivers and sessions.
Charles Leclerc versus Lewis Hamilton: How much did tyre age affect Ferrari?
Lap 44 provides a useful comparison between Ferrari’s two drivers because they were running the same car specification and tyre compound but with substantially different tyre ages.
Lewis Hamilton’s Soft tyres were six laps old, while Charles Leclerc had completed 28 laps on his set.
The Monegasque was 0.59 seconds slower than his team-mate, with 0.45 seconds of that difference coming from the technical second sector. The remaining sections accounted for just 0.14 seconds.
The 22-lap difference in tyre age therefore coincided with almost six tenths of a second in lost performance, with the most significant disadvantage concentrated in the more demanding corners.
A comparison against Lando Norris on lap 52 provided another perspective. The McLaren driver was running Soft tyres just three laps old. Charles Leclerc, on 36-lap-old Softs, was 1.25 seconds slower, while Lewis Hamilton, using 14-lap-old tyres, was 1.11 seconds behind.
The second sector again accounted for much of the deficit: 0.69 seconds for Charles Leclerc and 0.58 seconds for Lewis Hamilton. The significant point is that Lewis Hamilton lost almost as much time as his team-mate despite using substantially fresher tyres.
Tyre age therefore explained part of Ferrari’s disadvantage, but it could not account for the entire performance deficit. There was one notable exception on lap 52. Against George Russell, who was also running 36-lap-old Soft tyres, Charles Leclerc lost just 0.10 seconds.
However, the broader comparison across laps 25 to 47 showed an average deficit of 0.66 seconds per lap to the Mercedes driver on the same compound.
Ferrari was not slow in every circumstance. During the final Intermediate phase between laps 63 and 70, Charles Leclerc ranked fourth among the leading drivers, 0.38 seconds behind Isack Hadjar, while Lewis Hamilton was sixth at +0.44.
The varying results confirm that the SF-26’s competitiveness fluctuated considerably depending on the circuit conditions and phase of the race.
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