Mercedes wins constructors’ title for the first time since 2021

Mercedes sealed the 2026 Formula 1 constructors’ championship at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, ending a five-year wait for the Silver Arrows. 

George Russell’s fourth place and Kimi Antonelli’s fifth were enough to put the team beyond Ferrari’s reach with three rounds remaining, securing Mercedes’ ninth constructors’ title and completing a championship double alongside Antonelli’s drivers’ crown.

The points needed to win came in a rain-affected race at Interlagos, where McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed victory from pole position. 

Norris handled a late downpour and a punishing race to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, giving McLaren its first win in three months and repeating his 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix success.

Mercedes didn’t need a podium finish to settle the constructors’ battle. Russell crossed the line fourth, with Antonelli fifth, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took seventh and ninth.

That result left Mercedes on 652 points, 142 clear of Ferrari, making the Italian team mathematically unable to close the gap.

The championship proves the work Mercedes has put in after a difficult stretch following its previous era of success. The team had not won the constructors’ title since 2021, but it returned to the front under Formula 1’s new engine and aerodynamic regulations.

Mercedes won the opening six races of 2026 and took 12 victories from the first 20 rounds. This quickly built a lead that proved too large for Ferrari to overturn.

Antonelli’s title had already given Mercedes a reason to celebrate at the previous round in Mexico City. The 19-year-old became Formula 1’s youngest world champion, and his timely points-scoring in Brazil helped turn that individual achievement into a full-team triumph.

Russell’s fourth place added the final points Mercedes needed, while Antonelli’s fifth made sure Ferrari could not respond.

The result also places Mercedes among Formula 1’s most successful constructors. Its ninth title moves it level with Williams, while only Ferrari, with 16 championships, and McLaren, with 10, have won more. 

Team principal Toto Wolff described the achievement as “incredible,” acknowledging the work required to rebuild Mercedes into a title-winning operation. 

Although Mercedes failed to reach the podium for the first time in 2026, the team’s ability to deliver consistent overall performance, rather than rely on one driver, was key to its championship success.