Mercedes has secured its ninth Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix, leaving Ferrari to reflect on another missed opportunity as Toto Wolff celebrated the German team’s return to the top. The achievement came just one week after Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, completing a remarkable period for the Mercedes organisation.
For Ferrari, the outcome provided another reminder of the challenge involved in returning to championship-winning form. While Mercedes ended a five-year wait for constructors’ honours, the Maranello team remains without a world title since 2008. Wolff’s reflections on the determination and personnel behind his team’s recovery also carried an apparent message for rivals struggling to achieve a similar turnaround.
Mercedes defeats Ferrari to secure ninth constructors’ championship
Mercedes entered the Brazilian Grand Prix knowing that it needed to outscore its closest challenger, Ferrari, by three points to secure the championship. Both drivers contributed to achieving that objective, with George Russell finishing fourth and Andrea Kimi Antonelli taking fifth place at Interlagos.
The Scuderia could not match those results. Charles Leclerc crossed the line in seventh position, while Lewis Hamilton finished ninth, leaving the Italian team unable to prevent Mercedes from celebrating another constructors’ crown.
The result confirmed Mercedes’ first constructors’ championship since 2021 and brought its overall tally to nine, equalling the number achieved by Williams. It also marked the end of a difficult period in which the team had been working to recover the competitive strength that previously made it Formula 1’s dominant force.
For a closer examination of how the two constructors have performed throughout the campaign, the Ferrari versus Mercedes team statistics provide comparisons of championship points, qualifying results, race performance and other key measures.
Toto Wolff explains how Mercedes returned to the top
Speaking to Sky following the Brazilian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff expressed his satisfaction with the achievement and credited Mercedes’ strong beginning to the season as an important factor in its championship success.
The Austrian acknowledged that the closing races had not always been straightforward, including the contest in Brazil, but emphasised his pride in the entire organisation and the work carried out to deliver the title.
Wolff also reflected on the considerable effort required to rebuild Mercedes into a championship-winning operation. He explained that the process had taken several years, making the eventual success particularly rewarding for everyone involved.
His assessment appeared to contain a subtle reference to Ferrari’s continuing difficulties. Without explicitly naming the Italian team, Wolff suggested that relatively few Formula 1 organisations were capable of recovering from such a challenging competitive position. He regarded Mercedes’ return as evidence of the quality of its work and the strength of the personnel employed at its factory.
The Mercedes team principal also conveyed how much he valued being part of an organisation capable of achieving that recovery. His comments highlighted the importance he placed on the collective effort behind the championship rather than presenting the title simply as the consequence of individual performances.
Ferrari’s championship drought contrasts with Mercedes’ recovery
The contrast between the two teams is particularly significant given Ferrari’s prolonged absence from the top of the Constructors’ Championship. The Scuderia last secured that title in 2008, whereas Mercedes has now returned to winning ways after its own five-year interruption.
Although Wolff did not directly criticise Ferrari, his emphasis on the difficulty of rebuilding a successful Formula 1 organisation offered a pointed comparison with the situation at Maranello.
The Brazilian Grand Prix illustrated that difference in championship outcomes. Mercedes obtained the points it required through Russell and Antonelli, while the seventh and ninth places recorded by Leclerc and Hamilton were insufficient to keep Ferrari’s title hopes alive.
The result also adds another chapter to the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton partnership, with both drivers continuing to pursue the team’s ambition of ending its long championship drought.
Mercedes equals Williams as Toto Wolff pays tribute to Frank Williams
Beyond the immediate championship celebrations, Wolff was particularly moved by Mercedes reaching the same total of constructors’ titles as Williams, one of Formula 1’s most successful historic teams.
The Austrian described Frank Williams as an exceptional figure in the sport and acknowledged that he had never imagined Mercedes would eventually equal the Grove-based organisation’s championship record.
Wolff also recalled the close personal relationship he had enjoyed with Frank Williams, making the milestone especially meaningful. He expressed both disbelief and satisfaction at reaching nine titles, while maintaining that the achievement represented deserved recognition for the work carried out within Mercedes.
He additionally highlighted the experience of individuals within the organisation whose championship-winning careers extend beyond Mercedes. According to Wolff, some members of the team have been involved in more than nine title successes, having previously worked with other Formula 1 operations, including Brawn and Honda.
For Mercedes, the Brazilian Grand Prix therefore represented more than another championship confirmation. It marked the culmination of several years of rebuilding and placed the team alongside Williams in the sport’s historical constructors’ rankings. For Ferrari, meanwhile, the celebrations served as another illustration of the standard it must reach to bring its own long wait for a world championship to an end.
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