Mercedes completed a rare double in São Paulo on Sunday, clinching the 2026 Constructors’ Championship at Interlagos to claim a ninth FIA Constructors’ title. That draws them level with Williams on nine, behind only Ferrari (16) and McLaren (10) on the all-time list, and it is their first since 2021.
It arrives a week after Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion, aged 20 years and 68 days, in Mexico City. Motorsport Week’s feature on Antonelli’s path to the title tells how that story unfolded, and the team crown completes a clean sweep for the Silver Arrows.
A title without a win
Mercedes did not need to win at Interlagos. The race went to Lando Norris, who converted pole position into his second successive São Paulo victory in a rain-affected contest, finishing 14.602s clear of Max Verstappen, who had won in Mexico a week earlier. Mercedes engines power the McLaren, so even the winning car carried a little of the celebration. Motorsport Week’s report from Interlagos has the full story.
What mattered for Mercedes was the points. The team arrived in Brazil 126 points clear of Ferrari and needed only to outscore the Italian team by three to settle it. George Russell, who started seventh after a five-place grid penalty and had called for talks with the team after a qualifying “miscommunication”, finished fourth. Antonelli, who started second and led before spinning in the slippery conditions, recovered to fifth. Both cars overcame late balance problems, and it was enough, even though it was Mercedes’ first race of the year without a podium finish. Full results are on Motorsport Week’s race results page.
Ferrari, Mercedes’ closest rival, arrived in Brazil still dealing with the fallout from the spat between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Mexico, and the weekend did not help. Leclerc finished eighth and Hamilton ninth, collecting six points between them against Mercedes’ 22, a 16-point swing that more than settled it. With the constructors’ race over, US readers who follow the odds on the closing rounds can compare current betting promos ahead of the final three races.
How Mercedes got here
The turnaround owes plenty to the 2026 regulation reset. When the new power unit and chassis rules arrived, Mercedes read them better than most, and Antonelli has won nine races this year. Russell was second in the drivers’ standings after both Singapore and Austin, giving Mercedes two cars at the front when most rivals could rely on only one. Before Brazil, Red Bull (382 points) and McLaren (365) sat third and fourth in the constructors’ table, a long way behind. The result is a team that has been the benchmark for much of the season.
It also ends a four-season drought. After winning eight in a row from 2014 to 2021, Mercedes watched Red Bull and McLaren share the next four titles, and had to wait until 2026 to lift the trophy again.
Level with Williams
Matching Williams carries its own weight. Williams collected their nine titles between 1980 and 1997, the last of them 29 years ago, while Mercedes have taken theirs in just 13 seasons since 2014. Only McLaren and Ferrari now stand ahead of them, and Ferrari’s total of 16 looks a long way off.
Toto Wolff, reports suggested, was in no mood for a long celebration, preferring to focus on what went wrong in Brazil and on 2027.
What next
With both titles decided, attention turns to the three races that remain, in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and to the battle for second in the drivers’ standings, which is still very much alive. BBC Sport’s Formula 1 pages carry the latest standings and results. Anyone following the odds on the remaining races should check eligibility in their state, remember that betting is for adults only (21+ in most states) and never stake more than they can afford to lose.
Mercedes have not won every race this year, but they have won both championships, and that is the measure that puts them level with Williams.
