Norris wins rain-hit São Paulo GP as Verstappen climbs from 21st to second

Lando Norris reclaimed the lead from Kimi Antonelli and held it through a late return of rain to win the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos for the second year in a row. Max Verstappen finished second, 14.602 seconds behind after starting 21st; Isack Hadjar completed the podium for Red Bull. It was Norris’s third victory of the season and his first since the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort in late August.

Verstappen’s earlier São Paulo results put the climb in context: he won from 17th in 2024 and finished third in 2025 after starting from the pit lane. Hadjar’s third place was his third top-three finish for Red Bull in his first season with the team.

All the drivers started on intermediates on a wet track. Antonelli got away better than pole-sitter Norris, while Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson passed the McLaren driver through the Senna S for second. Norris regained that place on lap seven; Verstappen had already climbed from 21st to sixth in the opening phase.

Antonelli spun from the lead at Turn 1 on lap 20, allowing Norris to pass. Verstappen reached the podium positions by lap 24. Red Bull later instructed Hadjar to let his team-mate through, and Hadjar did so at Turn 1 on lap 38.

After stopping for fresh tyres following lap 46, Verstappen was fifth, 35 seconds behind Norris with 24 laps remaining. Norris’s stop after lap 49 dropped him behind Oscar Piastri, who moved aside; Hadjar, who had said he would try to go to the finish on his first set of softs, pitted a lap later. Antonelli led until his stop after lap 54, which put Norris back in front with a 7.5-second advantage over Verstappen.

Light rain returned in the closing stages. Norris stretched his lead to 14 seconds after 62 laps before switching to intermediates; Verstappen stayed out a lap longer, but Norris held the lead to the flag. George Russell and Antonelli finished fourth and fifth to secure Mercedes the constructors’ championship. Antonelli was under investigation for an unsafe release; with Oscar Piastri 20 seconds back in sixth, even a 10-second penalty would not cost him fifth.