Antonelli heads to Interlagos after clinching Formula 1 title
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 5, 2026
First event since title
Kimi Antonelli arrives at Interlagos for his first event since clinching the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. He sealed the title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, with four races still left, a result that ended the championship battle early and shifted the focus of the final stretch of the season. The team now travels to Brazil with the championship settled. After the Mexican Grand Prix, he said he still wants to finish on a high.
Ferrari faces pressure
Ferrari heads to Brazil under pressure after its Mexican Grand Prix fell apart amid disagreements between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The race left Fred Vasseur with the task of restoring order and setting clearer rules inside the team, and the timing gives Ferrari little room to absorb the damage before the next round. The problems are bigger than one difficult Sunday. Ferrari also has to protect its position in the constructors’ race while sorting out the friction between its drivers. The battle for second in the drivers’ standings is still crowded, with Max Verstappen, Hamilton, George Russell and Leclerc all part of it. Leclerc is about 15 points behind the leaders in that fight, and Lando Norris is another 24 points back of him. That keeps the race for second compressed and gives every point added significance in the final races. For Ferrari, the trip to Interlagos is as much about discipline as pace. Vasseur has to get the group pointed in the same direction and stop the noise from the last race from carrying over. The team cannot afford another messy weekend if it wants to keep its season on track and stay in touch with the teams around it.
Constructors race tightens
The constructors’ championship is equally compressed, and Ferrari faces pressure there as well. Red Bull has closed to within 26 points after trailing by 119 points in August, a swing that has pulled the team back into the mix and sharpened the fight near the top of the table. Red Bull and McLaren are the main contenders for third in the constructors’ standings, so the battle in Brazil reaches beyond the front-runners and into the next layer of the race. Mercedes also has a path to a major result at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord said the team could still clinch the Constructors’ Championship with a double-podium finish, which keeps Mercedes in the conversation even with the driver title already settled. That gives the weekend an added layer for the Silver Arrows, since Antonelli can race with the pressure of the championship removed while the team still chases a bigger prize. The midfield has its own fight too. Audi and Haas are battling for seventh in the constructors’ standings, another reminder that the table remains unsettled deep into the season. Brazil arrives with title pressure at the top, a tight chase in the middle and another fight further down the order, all of it still live as the calendar moves on.
