2026 Brazilian Grand Prix - Sunday

The race started in wet conditions and Nico, fourth on the grid, kept his nose clean in the opening stages. As the track dried and all drivers switched to slick tyres, his position stabilised in P10, as some front-runners starting at the back recovered their positions. A late penalty, 10 seconds for overtaking Franco Colapinto off-track, seemed to have removed all chances of points but, as the rain returned, a strong pit-stop by the crew allowed Nico to close in on Arvid Lindblad and overtake him for the final point-paying position.

Gabriel’s race was always going to be complicated, starting from the back. Having survived an early scare – a contact with Sergio Perez while overtaking the Cadillac – the local hero battled his way in the difficult conditions, eventually finishing three places higher than he started and lapping as one of the quickest cars on track in the final stages.

The result brings the team’s points total to 28, three short of Haas in seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Allan McNish, Racing Director: “It was a tough race for everybody, with conditions clearly not easy, particularly at the start on the intermediate tyres. Then came the question of when to switch to slicks, before another rain shower towards the end brought the track back towards intermediate conditions.

“From our perspective, Nico fought very well in the wet. We lacked a little bit of pace in the dry, but when the rain returned towards the end, he was able to fight back and reclaim P10, despite having to serve a ten-second penalty for overtaking Colapinto off the track after being pushed wide. The decision is the decision, and ultimately we came away with another point on the board.

“I have to say Nico drove a very strong race, and it was a real demonstration of the fighting spirit across the whole team. We also had a fantastic pit stop, which got him back out close enough to Lindblad to fight for that final points position. That work behind the scenes can sometimes go unnoticed, but it was crucial in giving Nico the opportunity to fight, and he made the most of it.

“For Gabi, starting from the back was always going to be extremely difficult, but he fought his way through to P16. We now reset, regroup and look ahead to Las Vegas in two weeks’ time.”

Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27):
Race result: 10^th
Fastest lap: 1:14.000 (Lap 40)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Intermediate) – Lap 16 (New Soft) – Lap 44 (New Soft) – Lap 61 (New Intermediate)

“It's good to come away from such a tricky race with a point. It was an eventful one, as it always is here in São Paulo. There were plenty of curveballs and opportunities for mistakes, but we managed to navigate them well and it was ultimately a fun race. I made a nice move on Lindblad right at the end, managed to set him up on the entry to get a better exit, and used the undercut to gain the position, which felt great, especially after the penalty had put us behind him. To fight back and recover that position, is a satisfying result. Looking at our pace, that's probably the maximum we could achieve today."

Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5)
Race result: 16^th
Fastest lap: 1:14.940 (Lap 45)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Intermediate) – Lap 16 (New Soft) – Lap 32 (New Soft) – Lap 60 (New Intermediate)

“Obviously, starting from the back didn't make things easy for me, especially in the wet, where overtaking was challenging with the power limitations. I spent quite a bit of time stuck behind other cars, but whenever I had some free air, our pace was quite positive, as it had been all weekend long - it is a shame we could not get more out of it. While my home race was not quite what I had hoped for, the support from the fans was incredible throughout the weekend, and I really appreciate it. Now, a week to recharge and we move on to the next one, still in the fight.”