Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli within reach of becoming youngest F1 champion as series resumes at COTA

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kimi Antonelli strolled easily through the paddock at the Circuit of the Americas, his boyish grin, tousled hair and easy demeanor never giving a hint of what is at stake for the 20-year-old Italian.

The Mercedes driver will start the United States Grand Prix on Sunday with his fingertips tantalizingly within reach of the Formula One championship.

It would be a stretch to win the title on Sunday, and things would have to fall perfectly in place. But it could happen. And if it does, Antonelli would become the youngest champion in F1 history and first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

“It definitely is crazy if you think about it, but that’s why I won’t think about it," Antonelli said. ”The others need to have a poor result, which is unlikely to happen.”

He looks ready to make a charge at the checkered flag. Antonelli was second-fastest behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Friday’s afternoon practice.

An Antonelli victory, coupled with Mercedes teammate George Russell finishing ninth or lower and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth or lower would clinch it. That's a tangle of mathematical formulas.

Even if they don't add up, Antonelli will leave Austin closer to the championship as his rivals are simply running out of races left on the calendar to catch him.

Whenever Antonelli is crowned, it will cap off a season where Mercedes jumped to the front of the grid from the opening race, boosted by a new generation of cars.

Many thought it would be George Russell in Antonelli's position by late October. He was the team's No. 1 veteran driver. He won the first race.

Antonelli quickly caught him, passed him and ultimately left his teammate behind in a cloud of frustration. Antonelli won the next five races and has eight wins total.

“It’s been really great to see his performances this year. It’s massively impressive, and he deserves to be the champion,” said Hamilton, a seven-time champion with McLaren and Mercedes.

Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas was Antonelli's teammate at Mercedes in 2025 and watched the ups and downs of his rookie season.

“He’s just taking things to the next level this year. It makes me proud,” Bottas said. “He hasn’t shown any signs of pressure or weakness.”

Off-track factors could also help Antonelli's title chase.

The final two races on the schedule are in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Formula 1 officials have said they plan to race both, even amid tensions in the Middle East from the Iran war. But officials are planning a possible substitute race at Imola in Italy.

If the season is shortened, that could hand Antonelli the title outright as there wouldn't be enough races left to catch him.

The Red Bull driver would seem a favorite to win Sunday after dominant victories in Malaysia and Singapore. Verstappen has four career victories at COTA. It has been an impressive turn in form for the former four-time champion after a slow and frustrating start raised questions whether he might even leave F1.

Verstappen teammate Isack Hadjar caused a stir when he said Red Bull didn't have the fastest car in Singapore.

“I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would have won the race with more margin,” Hadjar said Thursday.

Leclerc backed that up with an impressive Friday. He was fastest in both practice sessions. Verstappen was second-fastest in first one, and third in the second.

Most of the drivers laud COTA as one of the best tracks in the world. And every year, they complain about bumps that can make a 90-minute race a nightmare on their lower back.

“I love this track, I love this place. One of the best layouts ever," Verstappen said. “But for me the bumps are unacceptable.”

The track has long had bump problems due to the soft soil underneath. Track officials have made regular repairs since it opened in 2012. The bumps are most visible on the long straight, but Verstappen said the drivers feel them the most in braking zones.

Defending F1 champion Lando Norris of McLaren agreed it's a problem. He also said it's not unique to COTA.

“I mean, it’s pretty bad," Norris said. “There's a lot of places I need to take headache tablets before I go out, simply because it’s so bumpy and, and you’re hitting your head pretty hard against the headrests and things.”

The American team's debut season has included expected struggles for drivers Sergio Perez and Bottas, who have failed to finish races a combined 16 times. The team has scored no points.

Austin and the upcoming Las Vegas races are at least a chance to embrace the team's American roots with a cowboy-themed livery on its cars this weekend.

“Our focus is on next year’s car. It’s a long game,” Bottas said. “We know it’s going to be a tough end to the year for us, but it’s really all about building the foundation for the future.”

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car out of a turn during the first practice session for the Formula One United States Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car out of a turn during the first practice session for the Formula One United States Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car into a turn during the first practice session for the Formula One United States Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy prepares for the second practice session for the Formula One United States Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Vryn)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A few inches here or there, combined with some smarter baserunning by Victor Mesa Jr., and the Tampa Bay Rays might have won the World Series opener.

Mesa and Jonathan Aranda were caught stealing in consecutive innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers scored twice in a two-pitch span when hard-hit balls deflected off the gloves of center fielder Jonny DeLuca and shortstop Taylor Walls in the first.

Milwaukee came away with a 3-2 victory Friday night, winning on the margins and taking advantage of the types of mistakes the Rays usually pounce on to beat opponents.

“Definitely have to be smart. We talked about that coming in,” Tampa Bay outfielder Chandler Simpson said. “They just played the game better than us today.”

DeLuca missed his attempt at a diving catch on Christian Yelich’s one-out drive in the first inning with Jackson Chourio on first base. Yelich hit an 0-2 cutter to the right-center gap and DeLuca sprinted 85 feet and sprawled. The ball bounced off his glove in front of the warning track and rolled away for a go-ahead triple.

“You can’t be perfect in this game,” DeLuca said. “You’re going to fail a lot more than you’re going to succeed.”

Rays manager Kevin Cash didn't view it as a failure.

“Jonny covered a lot of ground right there to even make that play close," he said. “Highlight-reel play.”

With the infield in, William Contreras lined the next pitch at 108.4 mph. The ball glanced off the webbing of Walls' glove and into left field for an RBI single and a 2-0 lead.

“We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities, put ourselves in really good positions to score runs, to prevent runs,” Walls said. “We had some good plays where we did prevent some, and then we had some that we were inches away from maybe saving a couple more.”

With the Rays trailing 2-1 after Liam Hicks' RBI groundout in the fourth, Mesa was caught stealing third for the final out of the fifth with slugger Yandy Díaz at the plate.

“Victor is really competing, trying to do something to make something happen, put a little pressure on the defense,” Cash said, “and it didn’t work in our favor.”

One inning later, Aranda was thrown out trying to swipe second as Simpson struck out on a low slider for an inning-ending double play.

“That’s on me, ultimately. So much trust in Chandler putting the ball in play,” Cash said. “But he had a pretty nasty pitch.”

Contreras, the Brewers' catcher, had an excellent 1.49-second pop time in throwing out Mesa.

“Not surprised by anything that he did, but that’s not going to change our aggressive approach, certainly on the bases,” Cash said.

In the seventh, reliever Steven Matz issued a leadoff walk to Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt after getting ahead 1-2 in the count. Pratt eventually came around to score a critical insurance run.

Tampa Bay went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position while Milwaukee was 2 for 8. The Rays led the major leagues with a .283 RISP average during the season and the Brewers were second at .276.

“They play the same type of game we play, so we know it’s going to be close, like today was, and we're expecting that all throughout the Series,” Simpson said. “We've got to continue to play our game the best that we can and we should come out on top most of the time.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Milwaukee Brewers' David Hamilton is tagged out by Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero trying to advance on a double during the fifth inning of Game 1 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash pulls Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger from the game during the eighth inning of Game 1 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda (8) is caught stealing by Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt during the sixth inning of Game 1 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tampa Bay Rays' Victor Mesa Jr. is tagged out stealing by Milwaukee Brewers third baseman David Hamilton during the fifth inning of Game 1 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)