As Vice President JD Vance travels the U.S. supporting Republican candidates in next month's election, another Vance is on a whirlwind tour off Mexico's Pacific Coast.
The storm named Vance that strengthened into a hurricane on Friday is not actually named after the vice president, despite a flurry of social media comments linking the two.
Vance just happened to be next on a list of Pacific storm names devised by the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations' weather agency. It follows Trudy, which also reached hurricane strength off Mexico last week.
Storm systems are named by procedures set by the WMO, and the lists of names are reused every six years. For the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific regions, the lists are alphabetical and alternate male and female names.
Representatives from the vice president's office, the WMO and the National Hurricane Center did not immediately respond to email messages Friday.
Social media commenters joked about the hurricane and vice president having the same name. Many of the posts included photos showing the vice president's face in the eye of the storm.
When Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic in August, online reaction was swift and voluminous as it came two days after Dolly Parton's death. It also was the case that the storm was not named after the country music icon.
The WMO manages the naming of tropical storms worldwide. The names come from a set of pre-agreed alphabetical lists decided by five tropical cyclone regional bodies. Some of the lists are in a rotation, with the same roster of names being used every few years, while others start a new list every year.
The WMO says naming storms is important because it’s been proven “the fastest way to communicate warnings and raise public awareness and preparedness,” as well as limit confusion when more than one cyclone is moving through. They can also help with research and record-keeping. (The WMO’s Hurricane Committee does not use less common names beginning with Q and U for storms in the eastern North Pacific.)
If any other storms form in the eastern North Pacific this year, they would be named Winnie, Xavier, Yolanda and Zeke.
The next chance for another storm to be named Vance will come in 2032.
The last Hurricane Vance came in 2014, also off Mexico's Pacific Coast. The National Hurricane Center called it a rare November Category 2 storm that dissipated before making landfall. Another Hurricane Vance developed in the same area in 1990 but didn't hit land, the center said.
If storms are particularly devastating, either by death toll or damage, their names can be retired and replaced with new ones on the lists.
This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Vance south of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Vance south of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
FILE - Senior hurricane specialists Eric Blake, left, and Richard Pasch, right, work at the National Hurricane Center on the first day of hurricane season, June 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
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)
