Lando Norris wins the São Paulo Grand Prix as Max Verstappen charges from 21st to second
Pole-sitter Norris wins at Interlagos, Verstappen climbs 19 places and Isack Hadjar completes a Red Bull double podium. Verstappen moves 17 points clear in the fight for second.
Updated 9 November, with the post-race penalties
Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday, 14.602 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, who drove from 21st on the grid to second. Isack Hadjar finished third, 24.485 seconds behind the winner, to give Red Bull Racing both remaining places on the podium at Interlagos.
Verstappen started near the back after Red Bull fitted new power unit components beyond his allocation, and only Sergio Pérez lined up behind him. He gained 19 places over 71 laps, two years after he won here from 17th on the grid. Why he started so far back: Verstappen grid penalty explained. And how racing runs in his family: the Verstappen racing family.
São Paulo Grand Prix 2026: top 10
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Grid | Time / gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1 | 1:35:23.504 | 25 |
| 2 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 21 | +14.602s | 18 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 5 | +24.485s | 15 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 7 | +33.991s | 12 |
| 5 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 2 | +41.017s | 10 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 10 | +56.475s | 8 |
| 7 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 3 | +75.402s | 6 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 14 | +78.586s | 4 |
| 9 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 20 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 4 | +1 lap | 1 |
Norris won in 1 hour 35 minutes 23.504 seconds and converted the pole he took in Saturday’s wet qualifying session. Rain arrived at Interlagos during the race with Norris in the lead, formula1.com reported.
Russell fourth, Hamilton ninth from 20th
George Russell, who dropped five places to seventh on the grid, finished fourth, two seconds ahead of world champion Kimi Antonelli on the road. Antonelli, who started second, kept fifth despite a five-second penalty for an unsafe release. Oscar Piastri was sixth from tenth, Liam Lawson seventh after starting third, and Charles Leclerc eighth after starting 14th: Leclerc crossed the line seventh, but the stewards gave him a five-second penalty for the collision with Lawson on the penultimate lap. Lewis Hamilton came through from 20th to ninth, one lap down, in his 400th Grand Prix. Nico Hülkenberg took the last point in tenth despite a 10-second time penalty that he served during the race.
Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th in his home race, and Rafael Câmara was 20th, two laps down, on his Formula 1 debut for Haas. Lance Stroll retired after 30 laps, and Valtteri Bottas did not start.
The standings after Interlagos
Antonelli, crowned champion in Mexico City, now has 390 points. Second place has become a real fight: Verstappen moves up to 279 points, 17 clear of Russell on 262, with Hamilton one point further back on 261 and Leclerc on 249. Norris is sixth on 246. In the constructors’ championship Mercedes lead on 652 points, ahead of Ferrari on 510, Red Bull Racing on 415 and McLaren on 398. Full tables: F1 standings 2026 and the fight for second in the championship.
Our view
Norris did everything a pole-sitter has to do and deserved his win, but Interlagos once again belonged to Verstappen. From 21st on the grid to second, and on a day when Red Bull put both cars on the podium, he showed why nobody writes him off at this track. With three races left, he is now the favourite to finish runner-up behind Antonelli.
The full classification is on our São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 results page.
Did Verstappen’s charge from 21st to second top his 2024 win at Interlagos? Tell us in the comments.
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