Sao Paulo (AFP) – A week after the coronation of Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes confirmed its return to the top of Formula 1 thanks to the constructors' title won in Sao Paulo, which ends a five-year drought against its great rivals.

First modification: 11/09/2026 - 16:38

It was difficult for the German team to return to the path of glory, a passage that they walked at ease with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel of the Silver Arrows between 2014 and 2021. In that period, they barely missed the drivers' crown in that last season.

"It has taken us several years to return to the top, which has required enormous determination and hard work from everyone," team director Toto Wolff highlighted on Sunday during the celebrations at the Interlagos circuit.

The German team, whose factory and research center are located north of London, won its ninth constructors' title at the home of the legendary Ayrton Senna.

"Few teams have been able to come back and win again," boasted the 54-year-old Austrian businessman, the architect of this and a good part of Mercedes' triumphs.

Dozens of Mercedes engineers, technicians, mechanics and managers were exultant on the podium in Sao Paulo, under the rain and champagne.

They surrounded Wolff, the Italian prodigy Antonelli, 20, and the British George Russell, who regained his smile after a disappointing season on a personal level.

The youngest world champion in F1 history, crowned last weekend in Mexico, confessed that he would have preferred to achieve his tenth victory of the year in Brazil, where he was only fifth, behind Russell.

- Better adaptation -

In Interlagos, neither of the two Mercedes drivers got on a podium made up of the British Lando Norris, winner of the race, the Dutch Max Verstappen and the Frenchman Isack Hadjar.

But "the most important thing is that the team has won the constructors' championship," said Antonelli, who has conquered the Big Top and its hundreds of millions of fans, both for his talent on the track and for his personality in public.

His English teammate, completely surpassed this season, also praised "the 2,400 people from Mercedes and AMG in the United Kingdom" and in Germany who put an end to five years of "fight."

He acknowledged, however, "ups and downs" this campaign, in which he started as a great favorite and has only won three Grand Prix.

Mercedes had been champion for the last time in 2021 and Hamilton in 2020. Since then it has made its way to a difficult period, dominated by Red Bull and McLaren, due to a regulation to which the Silver Arrows had a hard time adapting.

On the other hand, the revolution that began in 2026, with hybrid engines (50% electric and thermal) and a review of the chassis and aerodynamics, fit perfectly with Wolff and company.

Their teams developed ultra-dominant cars, especially in the first half of the season.

Rivals reduce the difference

"We have had to evolve the car, respond to our rivals and optimize every time the opportunity arose," summarized chief engineer Andrew Shovlin, acknowledging the improvements of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari in the second part of the course.

After the summer, Mercedes' three rivals came close to the performance of the German manufacturer, especially Red Bull.

With three victories for four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the Austrian team jumped to third place in the constructors' standings and can snatch the runner-up position from Ferrari in the three remaining races.

The Dutchman and Red Bull are emerging as the great rivals of Antonelli and Mercedes for next year.

With its ninth title, Mercedes equaled Williams, although it is still far from Ferrari, the oldest and most successful team, with 16 crowns, the last in 2008.

© 2026 AFP

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