Mercedes win the F1 constructors' title early as Wolff calls Antonelli 'Senninha'

Wet socks, a Gatorade shower and a mountain of Brazilian canned beer: Mercedes know how to celebrate. In São Paulo the team sealed the 2026 Formula 1 constructors' title with three races still to go.

It comes just one week after Kimi Antonelli won the drivers' championship in Mexico.

What happened in São Paulo?

The race itself belonged to someone else. Last year's champion Lando Norris (McLaren) won in the rain for his third victory of the season. Mercedes still did enough: George Russell finished fourth and Antonelli fifth.

It wasn't a smooth day. Both Mercedes drivers struggled with big swings in the car's performance, and Antonelli spun several times on the wet track. "I'm very disappointed. To be honest, I'm pretty angry, but I'll put that aside for now because the team won the title," he said.

There was no samba party on the asphalt. Team boss Toto Wolff, though, tramped through the hospitality area in his socks after his soaking, then posed for a long round of selfies with fans.

Why does this title matter so much?

It is Mercedes' first constructors' crown in five years. For Wolff it is the ninth, which ties Williams, the team of the late Frank Williams. Add drivers' titles and Wolff has 17 in total, the same as Ron Dennis won at McLaren.

Wolff wouldn't hear of the comparison. "I'm not even in the same galaxy as Frank," he said, calling both men giants of the sport. He praised his team's resilience after some lean, title-less years.

Is Antonelli the next Senna?

Antonelli, from Italy, is 20 years and 68 days old. That makes him the youngest world champion in F1 history.

He did it at the home track of his idol Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian three-time champion who died in 1994. Senna's family welcomed Antonelli warmly before the race.

Wolff still wants to slow the hype. Measuring a 20-year-old against Senna means "enormous pressure", he said. His take: "Maybe at this stage he's still a 'Senninha' (little Senna) and not a Senna. So let's let the Senninha develop."

What's next?

Three races remain, and Wolff says preparation for 2027 has already begun. He expects a "very hard" fight for the title next year. The team wants to use the last rounds to learn what it can improve, and to attack at "full throttle" in the finale.