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* Antonelli leads Russell by 102 points with 125 still available after Austin* Russell needs to rebound after Singapore crash and engine penalty* Verstappen carries momentum after two wins in a row Kimi Antonelli is set to become Formula One's youngest champion, and Italy's first in 73 years, but the 20-year-old Mercedes driver will have to win and hope the stars align if he is to convert his first 'match point' in Texas on Sunday.Four years old when Sebastian Vettel became the hitherto youngest champion at 23 with Red Bull in 2010, the racer from Bologna has a mighty 102-point lead over teammate George Russell ahead of the US Grand Prix in Austin.There will be a maximum 125 points remaining to win after the chequered flag drops at the Circuit of the Americas, meaning Antonelli -- in his second season at the pinnacle of motorsport -- will clinch the title if he extends his lead by 23.Only a win would give him that margin but the Italian will still need Russell and Ferrari's seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton to finish no higher than ninth or fifth respectively. Otherwise the wait to become Italy's first champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 rolls on to at least Mexico City a weekend later."I know it's very close, I know it's there, but I just need to make sure that I keep doing the best I can. You know, the mindset is always the same, to go out there and win and perform the best way I can," Antonelli said after finishing third in Singapore, the race before Austin.That result was his 14th podium of the season. ONE-IN-25 CHANCE OF TAKING TITLE IN AUSTIN?"We're in that very uncomfortable phase of the season where you have to navigate the Thursday media with everyone saying 'Oh, you could do it... you've got a first match point'," said deputy principal Bradley Lord in a team podcast."People love this tennis comparison of match points, don't they? But I think there's something like a one-in-25 chance of that being remotely possible in Austin."Our focus is how can we get the car in its sweet spot and then go and score as many points as possible?"Russell, who crashed in the Singapore sprint and then started the main race at the back of the grid due to an engine penalty, will be thinking exactly that.Antonelli has won eight of 17 rounds so far but the momentum has been more with Red Bull's four-time champion Max Verstappen, winner of the last two races in Malaysia and Singapore and also last year's winner in Austin from pole position."You look at the recent races and Red Bull have been very much best. In Baku, Max was a similar level to me. We go to Malaysia, a totally different track, and Singapore another different track, and he's dominated the last two weekends," said Russell.Verstappen is 119 points behind Antonelli and has said he just wants to have fun for the remaining races, given the championship pressure is off.Both Mercedes drivers will have the latest upgrade package for the first of three successive race weekends in Texas, Mexico and Brazil.McLaren's reigning champion Lando Norris was runner-up in Austin last year with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third and both could be in the mix again while Hamilton's record in the United States is second to none."The last few races have not been great for us, but I think we're getting stronger again and Austin is probably a better circuit for our car," said McLaren's chief technical officer Rob Marshall, whose team will also have some upgrades.The weekend will also see a novel crossover, with four MotoGP riders set to take to the track for a demonstration ride on Saturday. The two-wheeled series and Formula One have a common owner in US-based Liberty Media. 

Qatar Foundation partner university Texas A&M University at Qatar recognized more than 150 engineering graduates during the university’s commencement ceremony. Students earned bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and petroleum engineering, along with master’s degrees in chemical engineering, marking the culmination of years of hard work, perseverance and dedication. Graduate Wala Abdelhalim, who spoke on behalf of the graduates, reflected on the experiences, friendships and moments that shaped the class throughout their journey at Texas A&M at Qatar. “Engineering teaches us to solve problems, but this place taught us something deeper than that. It taught us resilience. It taught us how to keep moving forward even when the path ahead was uncertain. It taught us how to carry responsibility not only for ourselves, but for the people beside us. And I think that matters far more than any title we leave here with today,” she said.During the ceremony, Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, encouraged the new engineers to carry forward the knowledge, resilience and values they developed during their time at the university as they begin the next chapter of their careers.  Students were formally inducted into The Association of Former Students by Mohammed Al-Shareef, Class of 2012 and president of the Qatar A&M Club, officially welcoming them into Texas A&M University’s global alumni network of more than 500,000 former students worldwide. 

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre opened up a four-shot lead at the midway point of the Valero Texas Open on Friday at TPC San Antonio's Oaks Course.MacIntyre shot the round of the week so far, an 8-under-par 64, to climb to 14-under 130 through two rounds. Sweden's Ludvig Aberg ‌is his closest competitor after he shot a second consecutive 67 to get to 10 ​under par.Bud Cauley (second-round 66), Kevin ‌Roy (68), Tony Finau (69) and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen (66) are tied for third at 9 under.MacIntyre started ‌on the back ⁠nine and went 4 ‌under through a three-hole stretch at Nos. 14-16. He ‌set himself up for an 8-foot eagle putt at the par-5 14th, then knocked in two more ⁠putts inside 8 feet for birdies at the next two holes.The World No. 11 finished his round with four birdies on the final five holes. He made just one bogey against seven birdies.Asked what was working for him Friday, MacIntyre was frank."Yeah, everything," MacIntyre said. "I mean, I've been driving the ball nice. Got a new Titleist driver in the bag. Iron play today was exceptional I would say. Hit a pure wedge shot on 17, I thought it was absolutely dynamite there. Approach play, ​hitting the number, hitting the targets. Got to finish off with good putting. Overall, just really solid."MacIntyre and Aberg were part of the same group in the first two rounds."We're good friends obviously from the Ryder Cup and ‌stuff. We get on really well," MacIntyre ⁠said. "It's good to play ​with good players and you can kind of build in a round. It was good ​to see him play well, and obviously myself."To wit, Aberg had a near-spotless outing until he bogeyed his final hole, the par-4 ninth. After making four birdies over his first 14 holes, Aberg had a 120-yard approach shot at No. 13, a par-4. His ball took two hops and dropped for an eagle."For me, golf is about putting yourself in situations where you can win tournaments," Aberg said. "I feel like I haven't really done that very well the last 12 months or so, but starting to see it now, which has been really nice. Starting to get back into that level, which is really nice for me to see. So I'm looking forward to one more ‌shot at it this week."While MacIntyre ‌and Aberg are each seeking a third ⁠PGA Tour win, Finau is vying for his seventh. The difference is he hasn't triumphed since April 2023, and ⁠he has yet to be invited to ⁠next week's Masters -- something only a victory in Texas can change.Finau ended his round with a bang, sinking a 34 1/2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 18th. He made an even longer eagle putt at No. 14 on Thursday, from 41 1/2 feet."It was nice to make an eagle on the last," Finau said Friday. "I hit a really good drive, pushed my second shot a little, got lucky, covered the water and was ​able to roll that one in. Sometimes those are the small little breaks that you need to be towards the top of the leaderboard."When play was suspended due to darkness Friday evening, only one player remained on the course. Luke Clanton's playing partners chose to play their final hole, No. 9, but Clanton will return Saturday morning to complete his round. He sits on the cut line at 2 under par and needs par or better to make the weekend.Jordan Spieth shot consecutive 71s to sit at 2 under. Mark Hubbard, the first- round leader following a 7-under 65, stumbled to a 77 Friday and will ‌also make the cut right ​on the number.Those on the wrong side include Russell Henley (1 under), Max Homa (1 under), South Korea's Tom Kim (even), Austria's Sepp Straka (even), Rickie Fowler (1 over) and France's Matthieu Pavon (4 over). 

Al Wakrah (TM Fred Texas), a seasoned 7-year-old Purebred Arabian mare, showed her class once again to win the Gr.2 (PA) French Arabian Breeders’ Challenge Sprint over 1400m at Bordeaux on Monday evening. The race drew eight runners, but Al Wakrah’s experience and determination secured her another Group (PA) title by the narrowest of margins. Trained by Jean De Mieulle, ridden by Olivier d’Andigné, and carrying the colours of Al Shaqab Racing, Al Wakrah added to an already impressive record that includes victory in the Gr.3 (PA) Premio UAE President Cup at San Sebastián in her previous outing, a second-place finish in a Gr.2 (PA) in Germany and a Gr.1 (PA) winner in the Qatar International Cup over 1400m at Al Uqda. This marks her fifth Group (PA) success. Soon in midfield in a race led by Zakyna Al Zarayan (Al Mamun Monlau), Al Wakrah was positioned just ahead of her main danger, Haseef (Al Mourtajez), owned by Wathnan Racing. The early tempo was even, but not fast, with Al Wakrah travelling smoothly in fifth while a small break formed behind her where Haseef and Ghaidaa (Muraaqib) raced at the rear. As the sprint began approaching the final stretch, Al Wakrah was switched to the outside and ridden forward while Kamun Du Nil (Al Mamun Monlau) briefly took the lead. Moving quickly into second with only one left to pass, she accelerated strongly inside the final 200m, taking the lead. D’Andigné looked to his right for a challenger, but danger came on his left as Haseef surged late, finishing strongly, but failing by a short head. Al Wakrah held on gamely, Haseef finished second and Ghaidaa ran on for third. Bred by Al Shaqab Racing, Al Wakrah is out of Majida (Majd Al Arab), runner-up in a Listed (PA) race over 1400m at five and third in a Gr.3 (PA) over 2000m at four. She is a half-sister to Ghadah (Azadi), winner of a Gr.1 (PA) over 2000m at four and a Gr.3 (PA) over the same distance, and to Subahiyah (Mahabb), third in a Gr.1 (PA)over 2000m at three.

I am excited to hear our halls and classrooms buzzing again with the sounds and voices of our engineering students. We have missed their energy, their enthusiasm and their Aggie spirit. This is my 38th academic year as a faculty member of Texas A&M University, and every new academic year brings new opportunity to reconnect, to build new connections and to learn something new. Our priority, until we close our doors in 2028, is to ensure that every student gets the world-class engineering education that Texas A&M has promised them. At Texas A&M University, we are engineering leaders in Qatar, the region and the world. Engineering education equips young people with the technical knowledge and the professional skills that will enable them to add value over multiple decades in which existing industries will change and new industries will emerge. Being an Aggie isn’t about a place so much as it is about a community in which everyone holds the same values: respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service. As we begin this semester, I hope our faculty, staff, students and graduates take time to embrace their fellow Aggies, encourage their classmates and challenge themselves, and to remember those values that bring us together. As we start the semester, I encourage all members of our community to remember the incredible connections they have made and will make, the lessons they have learned here at Texas A&M, and the impact they will have on Qatar’s knowledge economy. Best wishes for an incredible semester.