Just days after Kimi Antonelli made history by cementing his status as Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion, the Silver Arrows are already turning their attention to a second major prize. Mercedes head into this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix with a golden opportunity to secure the Constructors’ Championship, a prestigious title the Brackley-based squad has not claimed since their last triumph in 2021.
While the driver’s crown has already been settled in dramatic and thrilling fashion by the teenage sensation Antonelli, the battle to crown the best team on the grid is entering its final, decisive phase. Mercedes have thoroughly dominated significant stretches of the 2026 season, courtesy of stellar, consistent performances from both Antonelli and his seasoned teammate, George Russell. Their combined consistency and race-winning pace have built a formidable cushion at the top of the standings, leaving their rivals scrambling to catch up with just four rounds remaining on the global calendar.
As the Formula 1 paddock unpacks in the bustling atmosphere of Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix, only one team retains a mathematical, albeit distant, chance of denying Mercedes the team championship. Ferrari sit second in the constructors’ standings, but the Scuderia trail the Silver Arrows by a daunting 126 points. With time rapidly running out, the margin for error has vanished entirely for the Italian outfit.
The arithmetic heading into the Sao Paulo weekend highlights the sheer scale of the task facing Ferrari. There are now only a maximum of 172 points remaining for any single team to score across the final four race weekends of the campaign. Once the chequered flag falls in Brazil on Sunday evening, that maximum possible haul will shrink dramatically, leaving only 129 points left on the table for the remainder of the season.
In the battle for the rest of the top four places, the standings underline the sheer dominance at the summit. Behind front-runners Mercedes, who sit comfortably on 630 points, and second-placed Ferrari with 504 points, Red Bull occupy third position with 382 points, closely followed by McLaren in fourth with 365 points. While those teams fight for pride and minor placings lower down, all eyes in the paddock will be fixed on whether the championship battle can be brought to a definitive close this weekend.
How Mercedes can win the Constructors’ Championship in Brazil
The permutations for glory at Interlagos are straightforward for the German manufacturer. If Mercedes manage to outscore Ferrari by three points, or more, over the course of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, they will officially be crowned world champions.
There are several pathways for the Silver Arrows to achieve this target, but the most straightforward scenarios involve either Antonelli or Russell taking victory at the iconic South American circuit, with the other Mercedes driver finishing fourth or better. Under such conditions, Ferrari would find themselves mathematically eliminated from the title race regardless of where their own drivers cross the line.
Things would naturally become much trickier for Mercedes if Ferrari manage to lock out the top step of the podium and win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix outright. However, even in a scenario where a Ferrari driver wins the race, the championship can still be wrapped up if Antonelli and Russell finish high up the points-paying order, provided the opposing Ferrari entries finish sufficiently far down the classification to prevent them from clawing back the necessary points deficit.
Even if the racing gods intervene and Mercedes are somehow prevented from securing the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, there is no sense of panic within the camp. The team will have three additional opportunities to cross the finish line as champions at the remaining rounds of the triple header and season finale, with visits to Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi still to come before the year draws to a close.
The action at Interlagos is set to unfold across a packed schedule, beginning on Thursday with the traditional drivers’ press conference and Paddock Uncut. On-track action gets underway on Friday with the first practice session, followed by the team bosses’ press conference, second practice, and the regular Friday evening insights on The F1 Show.
Saturday brings the final practice session ahead of the high-stakes qualifying hour, which will determine the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, followed by the analytical wrap-up on Ted’s Qualifying Notebook. The weekend culminates on Sunday with the build-up on Grand Prix Sunday, leading directly into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself. Following the race, teams and fans alike will debrief with the Chequered Flag reaction program and Ted’s Notebook as Formula 1 wraps up another chapter of an unforgettable season before heading to the final leg of the triple header.