Mercedes seal 2026 constructors' title as Ferrari's 'rubbish race' ends all pressure in São Paulo

Mercedes secured the 2026 Formula 1 constructors’ championship at the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, with George Russell finishing fourth and Kimi Antonelli recovering to fifth at Interlagos — even as both drivers suffered spins on a treacherous wet-dry track.

The Brackley squad arrived in Brazil knowing a clean race would wrap up the title, but the afternoon quickly turned chaotic. What kept the Mercedes pitwall calm, according to technical director James Allison, was not their own composure but Ferrari’s collapse further down the order.

“Also, Ferrari were having such a rubbish race; even our dramas in front of them were not really making it look like, at any stage, the red cars were going to trouble us,” Allison said on the NU Silver Arrows Radio Show podcast.

Deputy team principal Bradley Lord echoed that assessment, explaining that the strategists were never genuinely concerned about losing their grip on the championship. “I don’t think there was any point in the race where we actually wouldn’t have taken the championship regardless, because we were always ahead of the Ferraris on the road,” Lord said.

Ferrari’s afternoon had promised more. Lewis Hamilton produced a brilliant launch from 20th on the grid in his Ferrari, briefly threatening to inject tension into the title picture. But the pace quickly evaporated in the difficult conditions, with the Scuderia repeatedly making progress before falling back. Charles Leclerc eventually crossed the line in eighth, with Hamilton one place behind in ninth — a meagre return that rendered the constructors’ fight effectively over long before the chequered flag.

Lando Norris took the race victory for McLaren, but the headline result of the afternoon belonged to Mercedes, who added the constructors’ crown to Antonelli’s drivers’ title — the Italian having already been confirmed champion heading into the Brazilian round.

Allison and Lord’s candid post-race assessment underlines just how complete Mercedes’ advantage has been over Ferrari in 2026. Even on a day when their own drivers were struggling to keep the car pointing in the right direction, the championship was never truly in doubt.