A mixed-up grid, rain, Mercedes taking the title and more: What to expect in the São Paulo Grand Prix
In classic Interlagos fashion, the weekend has been nothing short of chaotic so far. After a rain-delayed qualifying saw drivers foray onto the track with full wets, producing a heavily mixed-up order further muddled by the array of grid penalties, the race promises much of the same excitement and bedlam.
Lando Norris took a third consecutive pole at the circuit, with freshly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli joining him on the front row. From thereon, the order is as jumbled as it gets.
Here are the top five stories to keep your eye on as the lights go out for the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix.
A mixed-up grid delivering classic Interlagos entertainment
The quintessential Interlagos qualifying session provided upsets and unpredictability in spades.
As the popular Formula One adage goes, rain is the sport’s greatest equaliser and separates the greats from the goods.
Several drivers proved this to be true, with decades of experience setting the likes of Nico Hülkenberg and Fernando Alonso apart despite their inferior machinery. Hülkenberg will line up fourth after qualifying sixth with grid penalties applied, while Alonso hauled his Aston Martin to ninth and is bumped up a place for the race.
A number of mid-field drivers also proved their mettle in the wet conditions, with the starting grid seeing Liam Lawson starting third, Ollie Bearman in sixth, Alex Albon in ninth and Rafael Câmara lining up 11th for his debut F1 Grand Prix.
Saturday’s qualifying session saw some truly spectacular performances in the soaked conditions, but not without incidents.
Expect plenty of the same during the race, and opportunities created for unlikely drivers to end up on the podium, or perhaps even bag the win.
Mercedes clinching the Constructors’ Championship
From the Drivers’ Championship last week to the Constructors’ this, Mercedes’ final item on their 2026 checklist could be officially crossed out soon.
All Mercedes needs is to outscore Ferrari by three points to secure the title, and with both Ferrari drivers out of position due to grid drops, celebrations can surely be expected for the Silver Arrows in Brazil.
Mercedes have the upper-hand for the race, with Antonelli starting second and George Russell in seventh despite a grid drop of his own. Meanwhile, Hamilton will start from the back of the grid and Charles Leclerc lines up 14th.
Recovery drives across the board
As the battle for second in the Drivers’ Championship intensifies, the very combatants are the ones with grid drops this round.
The second and third drivers in the standings, Max Verstappen and Hamilton respectively, both start from the back. Russell occupying fourth in the standings is in seventh while Leclerc behind him is down in 14th.
With second place in the standings on the line, each driver will be on overtaking sprees at the race start to make up for lost positions.
Interlagos has invariably treated us to powerful charges from the back, most recently Verstappen’s incredible win from 17th in 2024 and his drive from pitlane to third last season.
An action-packed race is undoubtedly on the cards.
Câmara’s debut on home soil
After Esteban Ocon’s shambolic exit from the team mid-round at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he was replaced with immediate effect by Ryō Hirakawa who went on to score points on debut, this round sees Rafael Câmara step in.
The Brazil native already has a contract with the team for next season, and will be making his early debut on home soil.
Câmara has already had a solid weekend, with one of his only blips being a spin in the early stages of qualifying from which he swiftly recovered. The Haas driver qualified 13th in his first outing, and will start his first F1 race from 11th after grid penalties applied for drivers above.
Time will soon tell whether he too can bag points on debut, and for it to be in front of a home crowd could make the moment even more memorable.
Rain spicing up the action
Qualifying was delayed for quite some time before Q1 got underway, and conditions have appeared to be the same on race day with pouring rain drenching the track.
As we’ve seen countless times, rain at Interlagos has delivered cinematic races and with downpour expected during the session as well as stormy clouds continuing to hang low over the circuit, anything could happen when the lights go out.
Norris chasing a third 2026 win, mid-fielders eager to capitalise on the chaos, legends of the sport starting from the back, and plenty of opportunities available to make history. These are just some of the storylines making the 2026 São Paulo one you won’t want to miss.
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