Norris wins a wet-dry-wet São Paulo Grand Prix as Verstappen charges from 21st to second and Mercedes take their first title since 2021

Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on Sunday afternoon in Brazil, early Monday morning in Australia, in a race that started wet, dried out mid-way and finished in the rain.

It was the McLaren driver’s second win in a row at the Brazilian circuit. He crossed the line 14.602 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had started 21st, with Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar third.

Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren after starting 10th, scoring eight points.

“The main thing today was I kept it cool and didn’t make any mistakes,” Norris said.

How did Norris win it from third on lap one?

Norris started from pole but fell to third on the opening lap, and the new world champion, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, led the early stages by about six seconds.

The race turned when the track began to dry. Norris switched to slick tyres at the right moment, while Antonelli stayed out a lap longer, struggled to get heat into his tyres and went off the track, handing the lead back to the McLaren. Antonelli later went off a second time and was passed by both Red Bulls.

Late rain then forced the whole field back onto intermediate tyres, but Norris held on. There was no safety car.

What about Piastri?

The Australian’s afternoon was about damage limitation from 10th on the grid. He gained four places to finish sixth, almost a minute behind his teammate, on a day when McLaren scored 33 points, the same as Red Bull.

New Zealand’s Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls, although the stewards were investigating contact between him and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on lap 70 in the fight for seventh, so those places could still change.

How big is Mercedes’ title?

Russell’s fourth place and Antonelli’s fifth gave Mercedes an unassailable lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.

It is the team’s ninth constructors’ title and its first since it won eight in a row from 2014 to 2021, the era of Lewis Hamilton’s dominance. That ended with Red Bull and McLaren taking turns at the top. Nine titles draws Mercedes level with Williams, third on the all-time list.

Team principal Toto Wolff called it “amazing” and said it had taken the team a few years to get back to the top.

Who else stood out?

Verstappen’s drive from 21st to second was the charge of the day. Hamilton, who started 20th, was ninth for Ferrari, a lap down. Nico Hulkenberg held 10th for Audi despite a late penalty for forcing Alpine’s Franco Colapinto off the track.

Brazilian Rafael Camara made his grand prix debut for Haas at his home race and finished 20th. Lance Stroll retired, and Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac did not take the start after a problem with a wheel nut.

Why does it matter for Australian fans?

With the drivers’ title gone to Antonelli, Piastri’s remaining goal is to finish the year as strongly as possible, and McLaren’s is to catch Red Bull in the fight for third in the constructors’ standings. Three rounds remain.