Lando Norris won the São Paulo Grand Prix on November 8, finishing 14.602 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Isack Hadjar completed the podium, while fourth and fifth places for George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were enough for Mercedes to secure the constructors’ championship, according to Formula 1’s race report.
Norris started from pole in a race that moved from wet conditions to dry running and back to rain. Verstappen recovered from 21st on the grid. These were distinct achievements: victory for McLaren, a recovery to second for Verstappen, and a season-long team prize for Mercedes.
Sports Daily calculation: points from both cars
Adding the points listed in the official race classification gives the following comparison:
| Team | Scoring finishes | Race points |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Norris: 25; Piastri: 8 | 33 |
| Red Bull Racing | Verstappen: 18; Hadjar: 15 | 33 |
| Mercedes | Russell: 12; Antonelli: 10 | 22 |
The comparison explains why the winning driver alone does not tell the whole team story. McLaren and Red Bull collected the same number of race points through different finishing combinations. Mercedes scored fewer than either here, but the official report confirms that its accumulated championship position was sufficient to clinch the title.
How to read the result
A race winner, the largest team haul on the day and the championship winner answer different questions. Keeping those measures separate avoids treating Mercedes’ title as a claim that it had the strongest finishing pair in Brazil.
This calculation covers the points awarded in this race, not a reconstruction of the full season standings. The official results page labels its classification provisional, so subsequent amendments could change the figures. The linked classification is the reference for any later update.
Prepared with AI assistance and checked against official race reporting. Featured image: an original Sports Daily points graphic.
