Mercedes secured their ninth Formula 1 constructors’ world championship on Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, completing a title double a week after Kimi Antonelli became the youngest drivers’ champion in history.
George Russell finished fourth and Antonelli fifth at Interlagos, and those two results were enough to clinch the constructors’ crown with three races still to run, according to Reuters via Business Day and the Associated Press. It is Mercedes’ first constructors’ title since 2021, and the team celebrated on a separate podium after the race.
The title completes a remarkable season for the Silver Arrows, who have won both championships in the year their 20-year-old Italian driver became the sport’s youngest ever champion.
A double sealed in Brazil
Antonelli clinched the drivers’ title in Mexico last Sunday with four races to spare, becoming the youngest champion in Formula 1 history at 20 years old. A week later, his fifth place in Brazil — combined with Russell’s fourth — sealed the team title too.
The pair finished ahead of the chasing pack in a rain-affected race won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar completing the podium. Mercedes’ fourth and fifth places were enough to put the constructors’ championship beyond reach, and the team celebrated with a separate podium ceremony after Norris received his trophy.
Team principal and staff were quick to praise both drivers, with Antonelli’s rise — from rookie to world champion in a single season — the story of the year in Formula 1.
What it means
Nine constructors’ titles puts Mercedes among the most successful teams in the sport’s history, and the first since 2021 ends a five-year wait. The double — drivers’ and constructors’ in the same season — is the ultimate prize in Formula 1, and Mercedes have now achieved it in a year when few expected them to dominate.
For Antonelli, the week has been extraordinary: a drivers’ title in Mexico, a front-row start in Brazil, and now a constructors’ crown to share with his team-mate. At 20, he is already a double world champion in all but name.
What comes next
Three races remain — Las Vegas on November 21, then Qatar and Abu Dhabi — but both championships are now decided. The remaining races will be about pride, points and the fight for the lower places in the standings, with Norris just three points behind Leclerc in the battle for fifth. Mercedes, meanwhile, can enjoy the rest of the season as champions.
Read more: Norris wins rain-hit Sao Paulo GP as Verstappen storms to second · Norris takes rain-hit Sao Paulo pole as rivals hit grid chaos
