Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur congratulated Mercedes on securing its ninth Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship following the Brazilian Grand Prix, acknowledging the outstanding work of the German manufacturer’s team throughout the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Ferrari endured another difficult weekend at Interlagos, with both SF-26 cars struggling to deliver consistent performance because of tyre temperature problems.
Mercedes needed to outscore Ferrari by just three points in Brazil to secure the championship mathematically. With the Scuderia suffering a disappointing result, that target proved considerably easier to achieve than anticipated.
Fred Vasseur congratulates Mercedes on ninth F1 Constructors’ title
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth respectively, missing out on the podium but collecting enough points to secure the Constructors’ Championship with three Grands Prix still remaining.
Ferrari, by contrast, could do no better than eighth and ninth at the chequered flag, highlighting the difference in performance between the two teams on a difficult afternoon at Interlagos.
After the race, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged Mercedes’ achievement and praised the work carried out by its rivals over the course of the season: “Congratulations to Mercedes on winning the Constructors’ Championship. They have done an excellent job throughout the season and deserve this success,” Fred Vasseur said.
The result underlined the contrasting fortunes of the two manufacturers, with Mercedes celebrating another world championship while Ferrari continued to struggle for competitiveness. Their respective performances throughout the season can also be explored through the Ferrari versus Formula 1 rivals statistics.
Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari’s Brazilian GP tyre temperature problems
While Mercedes celebrated its championship success, Ferrari was left searching for explanations after a frustrating Brazilian Grand Prix in which neither driver managed to extract consistent performance from the SF-26.
According to Fred Vasseur, the main difficulty concerned tyre temperatures, with the Italian team unable to bring its tyres into the correct operating window throughout the race: “Overall, throughout the race we struggled to get the tyres into the right operating window, and this made the car difficult to drive and the pace of both drivers inconsistent,” the Ferrari team principal explained.
The inability to maintain the appropriate tyre operating temperatures compromised the SF-26’s driveability and prevented Ferrari from establishing a consistent rhythm at Interlagos.
The explanation offers an insight into why the team struggled to compete with its rivals during the Brazilian Grand Prix, a particularly disappointing outcome on the weekend when Mercedes secured another Constructors’ World Championship.
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