Antonelli's F1 title chase resumes at COTA with decisions over Middle East events still looming

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Formula One returns to the track at the United States Grand Prix with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli on the brink of a championship and a looming decision that could help him win it: whether to finish the season with the two scheduled races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi amid the Iran war.

Officials with F1 and the FIA, the governing body of motorsports, have said they still plan to finish the season with the races in Middle East.

Some drivers in the paddock Thursday were not so confident, but said they will trust race officials to make decisions that keep them safe.

Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr., director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, called it “relatively premature” to declare the season will end as scheduled in Qatar on Nov. 29 and Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6.

“They seem very convinced that it's going to go ahead. I think on my personal side, I'm not,” Sainz said.

Too many variables, including the upcoming Nov. 3 election in the U.S., could impact the level of tension and hostilities in the Middle East and whether it would be safe to race in the region, Sainz said.

“As it stands, we will go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” Sainz said. “We as drivers have to go with whatever they say. ... We don't have as much political information, as much inside information, as they have.

“I think the world can change a lot in the next month and a half, and we need to stay diligent, and reactive to whatever happens,” Sainz added.

With days before a close election in Israel in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, and before next month’s U.S. midterm election in which war-linked high prices have sparked voter anger, there are concerns that U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and could resume and that a return to full fighting again could endanger civilians throughout the region.

Formula 1 earlier this season canceled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April due to the war. The Bahrain race was rescheduled and moved to Malaysia.

If Qatar or Abu Dhabi are canceled, F1 officials have prepped for possibly staging a late race at Imola in Italy.

Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar and McLaren's Oscar Piastri said they will trust Formula 1 to protect their safety and will go wherever the races are.

“It’s out of my control," Hadjar said. "I’ll drive on the track I need to drive."

“There have been difficult situations in the past through conflicts and all kinds of things. We’ll put our trust in F1 and the FIA," Piastri said. “We might have to get some snowplows out if we race in Imola."

A decision to cancel races would have a huge impact on Antonelli's title chase and could even decide it.

Antonelli leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 102 points with six races left. Mathematically, he could clinch the title this weekend if he wins and other results in the field fall his way.

Canceling a race could leave his closest rivals little to no chance to catch up. Formula 1 officials would rather have the eight-time race winner this season claim the championship on the race track rather than by news release.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said he is confident the final races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be held safely.

Speaking this week at an FIA event near London, Ben Sulayem said his family is still in the United Arab Emirates and that he would not leave his children there if he felt it was unsafe.

“Does this say that there is nothing that is going to happen? I can't predict this,” Ben Sulayem said. “I can only tell you today there is nothing and the two races are going to happen.”

Conflict in the region has forced some moves. The FIA last month cancelled the final round of the World Rally Championship that was scheduled to be held Nov. 11-14 in Saudi Arabia.

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

From left: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco celebrate on the podium after the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates on the podium after placing third at the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Calley Means, a top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a chief advocate for the Make America Healthy Again movement, resigned from his position with the Trump administration Thursday.

In a statement, Means did not say why he was leaving. His departure comes as leading voices in the MAHA movement have expressed discontent with what they say is the Trump administration’s lack of progress on a variety of issues, including food security and regulating the weed killer glyphosate.

Means said he “leaves with tremendous respect” for President Donald Trump and Kennedy.

“The past two years have seen historic policy and cultural change to confront the chronic disease crisis and healthcare incentives that profit from us being sick,” Means said. “This movement is in the first inning and just getting started.”

Means was hired as a White House adviser early in the second Trump administration. He used his perch at the Health and Human Services Department to attack the nation’s leading physician groups, federal agencies and government scientists, claiming they only protect their own interests.

White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said the Trump administration is “grateful” for Means’ time and “he has done a fantastic job for the MAHA movement.” A representative from Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

Health activist Kelly Ryerson, a leader of American Regeneration who is also known as Glyphosate Girl on social media, said she is “impressed that he completed over two years at HHS fighting the food battle, despite all of the obstacles presented by corporate interests.”

“At the heart of MAHA is a shared belief that the nation’s health must not be sacrificed to corporate profit, and that a preventable slide into chronic disease is a threat to America itself,” she said.

Means is the brother of wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means, who failed to be confirmed as surgeon general earlier this year after doubts were raised over her vaccine stance.

Means, along with his sister, came to prominence within the MAHA movement by arguing that ultraprocessed foods, additives and pesticides could be blamed for many of the chronic health conditions facing Americans.

Means brought those arguments into the Trump administration and frequently clashed with senior White House officials who worried about alienating the powerful food industry.

At the same time, Means’ emphasis on food was a source of frustration for other figures within the MAHA movement who wanted to see Kennedy focus on “medical freedom” issues. For many, that meant rolling back federal recommendations and approvals for vaccines.

Despite Means’ efforts, the administration’s progress on food reforms has been slow going.

Kennedy had promised the release of a first-ever government definition of ultraprocessed food in April. Instead, FDA’s acting commissioner, Kyle Diamantas, told a conference that month that defining the class “is really hard.”

In August, Kennedy staffers again suggested an announcement on the issue was imminent. Instead, the announcement focused on a proposal bringing greater scrutiny to food additives. It made only passing mention of ultraprocessed foods.

In this image provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Calley Means, senior advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, delivers remarks at HHS Headquarters in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026. (Christophe Paul/USDA via AP)