Lando Norris claimed his 14th Formula 1 (F1) victory at the 2026 São Paulo GP, overcoming a difficult start and unpredictable weather conditions to secure his second consecutive win at Interlagos. Despite losing two positions on the opening lap, the McLaren driver fought his way back to the front through a combination of strategic decisions, consistent driving and well-timed pit stops.
Starting from pole position, Norris dropped to third behind Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson during the opening exchanges. However, as the circuit began to dry, McLaren capitalised on the changing conditions, allowing the Briton to close the gap to Antonelli. The Mercedes driver subsequently made a mistake at Turn 1, handing Norris the lead.
With rain returning during the closing stages, Norris maintained control of the race to take the chequered flag ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Speaking in the post-race press conference, the McLaren driver reflected on the challenges he faced throughout the afternoon and the team’s performance.
Norris ranks São Paulo GP victory among his “best” in F1
Reflecting on whether the victory ranked among his finest performances in F1, Norris highlighted the difficulties of navigating constantly changing track conditions. From managing intermediate tyres to switching onto slicks and eventually returning to the intermediates, the McLaren driver faced several challenges throughout the race.
“I think it’s certainly up there in terms of challenge, challenge to achieve. Not made easy for, I guess, all the reasons possible. Not the best start and obviously coming back from there, but a lot of challenges from just strategy and conditions, weather, trying out, so managing the inters, getting on the slick, not making mistakes on the slicks, especially into turn one and a lot of the wetter places. And then vice versa, going back onto the inters at the end and managing the slick in the wet conditions.”
McLaren’s strategy and execution prove decisive
Beyond the difficult conditions, Norris praised McLaren’s execution throughout the race. The team’s pit stop strategy played a crucial role in closing the gap to Antonelli, who had established a significant advantage during the opening stages. Norris explained how McLaren’s decision to box him for slicks a lap before allowed him to get right back behind the 2026 World Champion. That put Antonelli under pressure and ultimately helped Norris capitalise on his rival’s mistake.
“A lot was thrown at everyone on a day like today, but it was probably one of our best races in terms of execution and pit stops and timing of things. I was eight seconds behind Kimi [Antonelli] before the pit stop. He boxed one lap earlier onto the slick. I came out and was right behind him and forced him to push a little bit more. And obviously he went into a mistake and I could capitalise on it. So I think in terms of always being there where we needed to be, being able to put people under pressure was a very good day for that. And also from my side, just not making any mistakes, which are so easy to do on a day like today. So great performance from the whole team. So certainly up there with one of the best ever.”
Communication plays a key role in difficult conditions
While Norris avoided mistakes throughout the race, the constantly changing conditions made driving at Interlagos particularly demanding. With sections of the circuit remaining wet even as drivers switched to slick tyres, maintaining control required careful judgement. Asked whether leading the race made those conditions more challenging, Norris downplayed the significance of his track position. Instead, he emphasised the importance of communication between himself and McLaren’s pit wall.
“I don’t think that matters, honestly. I don’t think that matters too much, you know, because by a certain part of the race, you also have people ahead of you again. So you’re not necessarily, say, the lead car. You’re just, you’re observing things. I’m watching the TVs as I go around to see what’s happening. And the team is always giving me information to say where people are making mistakes, where I have to brake earlier, and where I can gain lap time – all these different things.”
Norris highlights challenges of slick tyres in wet conditions
Beyond the communication with his team, Norris highlighted the difficulties of managing slick tyres on a circuit that had not completely dried. The McLaren driver explained how easily drivers could make mistakes, particularly under braking into Turn 1, where the remaining moisture made maintaining control especially challenging.
“So today there was just a lot of information that I was giving to the team and a lot of information that I was getting from the team. And yeah, it was very, very tricky from that perspective. But yeah, it’s hard to describe it, I guess, to people, because unless you’re in the car, it’s hard to show and describe the difficulties of a slick tyre in the rain and how easy it was to lock up into turn one, lose the car and all these different things. So nasty conditions always are sometimes around here in Brazil, but otherwise it was just a very well-executed race from that side.”
Norris admits frustration after a difficult opening lap
Despite ultimately taking victory, Norris endured a frustrating start to the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP. Having secured pole position on Saturday, the Briton lost out to Antonelli and Lawson during the opening lap, dropping to third. When asked about his thoughts following the opening corners, Norris admitted that he was far from pleased with how the race had begun. He also acknowledged the difficulty of judging Lawson’s position alongside him.
“I probably can’t. I’d probably get a fine. So I mean, I wasn’t too pleased. I didn’t honestly know if it was something… Turn two or turn one, sorry, was just on me. I think Liam was in my blind spot, and I just couldn’t see where he was. I didn’t know if he was behind me or what. So it was difficult to know where I needed to be. And that one I just had to just accept. The launch – I’m not too sure what happened.”
However, Norris recognised that the unpredictable conditions could create opportunities later in the race. Rather than allowing his frustration to affect his driving, he focused on remaining patient and recovering the lost positions.
“I thought I did things correctly but just went straight into wheelspin. So I just need to review that one. But otherwise, I wasn’t too pleased, but I also knew it was a race where things could easily change, whether it was with safety cars or the rain. And it was a race where a lot could happen. So I was patient. Normally, I probably would get a little bit more angry in that situation, but I stayed patient, and things came back to me beautifully.”
McLaren upgrades contribute to the São Paulo GP victory
McLaren introduced an upgraded front wing for the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP weekend, which Norris believes contributed positively to the team’s performance. However, despite securing pole position and victory, he remained cautious about the extent of the improvements. Asked whether he could have won the race in completely dry conditions, Norris declined to speculate. Instead, he pointed towards the team’s pace during practice and stressed that McLaren’s success depended on more than outright performance.
“Who knows? I don’t. I won the race. So that’s all I care about for now. I think if we look at the stats of the practice sessions and stuff, we were generally always a tenth or two-tenths behind the top. The upgrades we bought this weekend were great. They worked as they should have done. So if we didn’t bring them, we’d be further behind. Simple as that. But it’s still not enough. They’re not enough to say you’re always suddenly the quickest. I think on a day like today, it’s not all about that. It’s about good strategy, good pit stops, driving well, and not making mistakes.”
Norris insists McLaren still has work to do despite victory
Although the upgrades helped McLaren take a step forward, Norris insisted that the team had not yet reached the performance level required to challenge consistently at the front.
The Briton acknowledged the progress McLaren had made but stressed that one successful weekend did not eliminate the team’s remaining weaknesses. While he praised the work behind the latest developments, he also made clear that further improvements were necessary.
“But I certainly had a car that I could fight for a win with today, and it’s very important that those things would help. It’s hard to quantify how much has helped. But upgrades always do, and they worked well. So the team has done a very good job. But we’re also, as much as we’re happy, we’ve managed to bring things and take a step forward and come away with a pole and a win. And we’re not as happy as we could be, because we also know we’re not good enough.”
Despite celebrating his second consecutive victory in Brazil, Norris believes McLaren must continue developing its package before it can confidently compete at the front on a regular basis.
“We’re not at the level we need to be, and we’re not confident in the package we have just yet. We’re getting there slowly, and we want to do it quicker. That’s difficult. But we know we still have work to do, and we’re not at the level we need to be to fight for a world championship just yet. So yeah, I’m proud of the team for the work they’re doing. But we all know that we still have work to do.”
