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AUSTIN, Texas -- 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.
Tough-luck Tony
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Tony Stewart can't seem to catch a break in his returns to NASCAR.
The three-time Cup Series champion got caught in a pileup on the 17th lap of the Craftsman Truck Series race Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.
After qualifying 29th, Stewart advanced 11 spots in the first 15 laps before his charge abruptly ended.
Stewart Friesen lost control of his No. 52 Toyota in traffic, triggering the nine-truck crash on the backstretch. Friesen made a hard right up the banking into the left front of Stewart's No. 25 Dodge Ram. Both trucks slammed into the outside wall.
Stewart radioed his team that the impact knocked the wind out of him. He was seen and released from the track's infield care center.
"I just saw Stewart Friesen in the middle had an issue, and there were two trucks in front of us that got in the wall," said Stewart, who fell to 34th in the 36-truck field. "I started to get past those guys and didn't see (Friesen) coming from the left."
Trucks race winner
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Only a few hours after announcing he'll be competing full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year, Sammy Smith went out and delivered a strong message to the competition -- leading the final lap of NASCAR Overtime to claim the win in Friday afternoon's Love's RV Stop 225 on the famed Talladega Superspeedway high banks.
Smith's No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet crossed the finish line a mere 0.091 seconds ahead of a four-wide battle for second place, which went to Tyler Ankrum, a scant 0.002 seconds ahead of Smith's teammate Austin Green, who turned in a tremendous day in his only start of the year.
Ty Majeski and championship leader Kaden Honeycutt joined the dramatic door-to-door rush to the checkered flag.
It marks Smith's first career win in the series in his 11th start and sends a message to the competition that the 22-year-old Iowa native will be a force for the title when he goes full-time.