IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Fresh from a Drivers’ Championship celebration in Mexico City, Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes move onto another iconic track to try and seal the Constructors’ title. Outside of that, there are plenty more storylines to get stuck into as we wrap up the latest triple header in Sao Paulo.

Ocon out, Camara in

Before we could even get to race day in Mexico City, there was a huge story unfolding as Esteban Ocon was dropped by Haas ahead of Saturday’s running at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Haas offered little explanation beyond the fact it was not related to illness, and stated that Ryo Hirakawa would fill in for the rest of the race weekend before further decisions were taken. It has since been confirmed that Ocon will not return to Haas this season.

With Hirakawa racing in the World Endurance Championship this weekend – where he goes for the title – Haas have moved to promote 2027 race driver Rafael Camara early, providing the Brazilian with a debut at his home race.

It will be a special weekend at Interlagos for Camara, although he faces a steep learning curve as FP1 will mark the first time he has driven a 2026 F1 car, and only the second time he has driven any generation of Haas after his TPC appearance in August.

The 21-year-old is leading the Formula 2 Championship and slated to race in the final two rounds of the F2 season, but it remains to be seen if he will complete the year in F1 instead. For now, Haas say the drive is only confirmed for this coming weekend.

Mercedes’ Constructors’ hopes

Such has been Antonelli’s performance level this year, his ability to wrap up the Drivers’ Championship came before Mercedes – despite a dominant car at times – could win the Constructors’ title.

Recent races have seen Ferrari putting up a strong fight and that meant it was highly unlikely Mercedes could win the Teams’ Championship in Mexico City, but there is a greater chance of it happening this weekend in Brazil.

Mercedes are currently 126 points clear of Ferrari with four rounds remaining, and with no Sprints left that means there is a maximum of 172 points still on the table. After this weekend’s race in Sao Paulo, that number will drop to 129, meaning Mercedes simply need to extend their advantage over Ferrari by three points to be champions.

Ferrari have actually outscored Mercedes by 34 points over the past four rounds, but they will need to take far bigger chunks out of the deficit if they want to extend the battle further.

Ferrari’s response to Mexico drama

One opportunity to take a big bite out of the Mercedes lead came and went for Ferrari in Mexico City, where they were running first and second with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc respectively on the opening lap.

Both drivers went deep at Turn 4 when battling over the lead in a move that earned Leclerc a time penalty and cost Hamilton position to Max Verstappen, and the Dutchman did not need a second invitation as he took full advantage to win.

There were 71 laps to go and plenty of racing still to play out, but instead of picking up the maximum available 43 points, Ferrari scored 30 for a second and fourth at the flag, with Mercedes only losing nine points to their closest rivals as Antonelli finished third and George Russell sixth.

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur was unhappy with his drivers post-race, believing they put their own fight above the team.

“I will have a discussion with my guys, but it’s very difficult in terms of respect for us, for the team, for the job done at home by the guys,” he told F1 TV. “Honestly they are pushing like hell to bring upgrades, they are working night and day, and we have to keep this in mind.”

Vasseur added there would be clear-the-air talks before Brazil, and it will be worth keeping an eye on whether there are any rules of engagement implemented, and how the two drivers race each other if close together on track again this weekend.

Both remain in the middle of a close fight for second place in the Drivers’ Championship, with Verstappen leading that race by just two points from Hamilton, and Leclerc in fifth – five back from Russell and 16 adrift of Verstappen.

Bottas’ uncertain future

When Cadillac announced Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their race drivers for 2026, they did so with both drivers on multi-year contracts. While Perez has had an impressive return to the grid and earned an extension through to 2029, Bottas’ position with the team remains less clear.

Cadillac F1 Team CEO Dan Towriss has openly questioned some of Bottas’ race performances, with test driver Colton Herta completing multiple FP1 outings in order to try and earn a Super Licence that would allow him to replace the Finn. Once again, Herta will drive on Friday in Brazil, this time taking over from Sergio Perez, with 100km and a clean session all that stands between him and the final Super Licence point he requires.

There have been a number of reliability issues that have hampered Bottas as Cadillac tackle their debut season in F1, not least the front left corner failure that led to his high-speed crash in Sunday’s race in Mexico. He has failed to finish 10 of the 19 races so far this year, although he was still classified after crashing out late in Azerbaijan.

Towriss says there is still a scenario where Bottas can retain his seat, and that he has been pleased with the professional response from the 10-time Grand Prix winner so far, but his contractual situation does not appear to be a barrier to replacing him should Cadillac choose to do so.

An iconic venue and atmosphere

Over the past two race weekends we’ve had a huge turnout in Austin, a title party in Mexico City, and now head for another historic venue that has been the scene of many a dramatic moment in the past.

Interlagos is a drivers’ favourite as a track with an old-school feel. Kerbs that you can attack, elevation changes and a beautiful flow are all characteristics of a circuit that has hosted title showdowns that have been decided on the final lap.

Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna continues to be revered in Sao Paulo – with new World Champion Antonelli heading to visit Senna’s private estate in Tatui this week – and the wider passion for motorsport endures.

With tens of thousands of fans almost overhanging the track on the run to the finish line, it really does feel like a racing cauldron at times, and produces a special atmosphere throughout the race weekend.

Add in the potential for wet weather to further increase the chances of thrilling on-track action, and it can often be one of the most dramatic races of the year. The early forecast certainly suggests a chance of more of the same this coming Sunday.