Mercedes Clinches 2026 F1 Constructors' Title in Brazil, Its First Since 2021
Russell and Antonelli finished fourth and fifth at Interlagos, enough to lock up the crown with three races left and give Mercedes a 2026 title double.
Mercedes is Formula 1's constructors' champion again. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth in a rain-hit São Paulo Grand Prix on November 8, enough to put the team out of Ferrari's reach with three rounds left and complete a 2026 title double a week after Antonelli's championship-deciding Mexico City weekend.
It is the team's first constructors' crown since 2021, ending a four-year stretch in which the Brackley squad went from eight straight titles to chasing Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. According to Mercedes, the 2026 campaign has produced 12 race wins so far.
A title sealed the hard way
The clinching race was far from tidy. Mercedes set the pace early on intermediate tires as the Interlagos track dried, with Antonelli starting from second. Russell started seventh after a five-place grid drop for fitting a new combustion engine, the FIA confirmed.
The advantage vanished at the switch to slicks. Both drivers struggled to bring their tires up to temperature: Russell spun leaving the pits, and Antonelli spun at Turn 1, flat-spotting his tires. Their pace on softs pulled them back toward the top three, but returning rain forced another change to intermediates, and the warm-up problem resurfaced.
Russell passed his teammate for fourth, and the pair crossed the line together. Lando Norris won from pole for McLaren, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Team boss Toto Wolff admitted Mercedes had the pace to win but lost out at both tire crossovers.
Where this title ranks
After Brazil, Mercedes leads Ferrari 652 points to 512, per the race standings. The championship is the brand's ninth, drawing level with Williams for third on the all-time list behind only Ferrari and McLaren.
It also puts Wolff level with Frank Williams on nine constructors' titles as a team principal, the most in F1 history. Counting Antonelli's drivers' crown, the team says Wolff's tally of combined titles now stands at 17, equal to Ron Dennis's record from his McLaren years.
Antonelli's own title was already historic. He clinched it in Mexico at 20, becoming the sport's youngest world champion and Italy's first since Alberto Ascari in 1953, Al Jazeera reported.
Why it matters beyond the track
This championship came under rules that changed almost everything at once: power unit, chassis, and aerodynamics. Mercedes-Benz chief technology officer Jörg Burzer framed the W17 as proof of concept, calling F1 the company's fastest development lab and saying lessons on efficiency, hybrid technology, and development speed feed directly into its road cars. That claim matters more now that the 2026 power units lean far harder on electric output than before.
The season isn't over. Mercedes heads to Las Vegas next, where it is running its F1 Fan Hub on the Strip, followed by Qatar and the Abu Dhabi finale. Wolff said the team still has plenty to understand after two difficult races.
