Monza gearing up for Hamilton in Ferrari red at the Italian GP

There’s an added air of excitement among the passionate, red-clad tifosi at the Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton is preparing to make his Monza debut in a Ferrari.

It will be Hamilton’s 19th race at the high-speed Italian track, but his first in red. His weekend got off to a great start when the British driver was fastest in Friday’s first practice, and both Ferraris showed pace in the second session, too.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has stood on the iconic Monza podium eight times, five of those after winning the Italian GP.

But Hamilton — who hasn’t finished higher than fourth in a difficult first year with the Italian Scuderia — is not thinking about what it would be like to do so clad in Ferrari red.

“I haven’t (thought about it), simply because I’ve been on the podium plenty of times here, so I know what it’s like to be up there,” Hamilton said. “I’ve seen how it’s been for other Ferrari drivers, and anything I try to imagine will be far from what that feeling could be.”

Hamilton will have to serve a five-place grid penalty at Sunday’s race as Ferrari looks to rebound from a disastrous Dutch GP that saw both he and teammate Charles Leclerc crash out in separate incidents.

“I’m still in my first year with the team, and so every weekend is the first time driving this car at that track,” Hamilton said. “ They won here last year with a great strategy and a great drive from Charles.

“I’m really keen to see how the car works here. We’re definitely learning from weekend to weekend, loads of positives to take from the last, so I think we just have to keep building on that.”

While the red of Ferrari will dominate the grandstands, two papaya-colored cars will take center stage in the title fight.

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are battling each other for what would be a first Formula 1 title for either.

Norris' title chances diminished dramatically at last weekend’s Dutch GP after his McLaren broke down while he was chasing Piastri, who went on to win the race and extend his lead in the drivers’ championship to 34 points.

“I don’t think much will change,” Piastri said. “He’s certainly not out of the fight. Yes, it’s a bit more difficult now but I don’t expect much to change. I think we’ll race each other the same way, the amount of risks we’re taking will be the same.

“We’re both trying to drive as fast as we can, it’s not like we’ve been holding anything back from that side of things.”

Hamilton had the crowd on its feet when he jumped to the top of the timesheets towards the end of the first practice session, going 0.169 seconds quicker than Leclerc for a Ferrari one-two that will have the tifosi dreaming of similar on Sunday.

None of the other drivers were within half a second of Hamilton. Norris was nearly a second slower — in sixth — and Piastri sat out the session, with rookie Alex Dunne taking over his McLaren.

Norris topped the second practice session, but was just 0.083 ahead of Leclerc and 0.096 faster than Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr., with less than two tenths of a second separating the top six drivers.

Piastri was 0.181 slower than his teammate and title rival, just ahead of Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

There was more misery at Monza for Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, who had a tough introduction last year as he crashed 10 minutes into his first F1 practice session for Mercedes.

Antonelli was fifth fastest in the first practice on Friday and spun off into the gravel early in the second session.

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali recently suggested radical changes could be made to race weekends to attract younger audiences.

The most drastic of those could be shortening the actual races.

“I will be on the other side, I will be in front of the TV when that happens,” 44-year-old Fernando Alonso said. “I don’t think it’s a problem with the sport. Also, football matches are a little bit long … and no one is talking about having 60-minute football matches or something like that.

“So it’s a problem of society and the kids, but not the sport. So probably it’s not needed, the change.”

Domenicali said that packing the calendar with more sprint races could also be an option. He claimed most drivers are in favor with even four-time champion Verstappen, who has been among the most vocal critics of the sprint format, coming round to the idea.

However, Verstappen said on Thursday that his mindset hadn’t really changed.

“I mean you all know what I think about sprint races,” he said. “But the length of the race I think it’s fine. Sometimes it’s one and a half hours, sometimes close to two. In other sports as well, sometimes you have an exciting game, sometimes absolutely boring and you fall asleep.

“Yes, I see the positive (about sprint races) — people are making more money … But F1 has been like this since the 50s. I understand that sports evolve and stuff like that, but we shouldn’t go too crazy. I think the sprint race is already, from my side, crazy enough.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the second free practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco prepares for the first free practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain walks through the pits before the first free practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrtaes after winningthe Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car after a pit service during the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix race at the Zandvoort racetrack in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Post, Pool)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, right, and his teammate Charles Leclerc of Monaco, wave to fans from a balcony on the occasion of a sponsor event in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. The Formula one race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain arrives at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain gestures during a news conference at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.

The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.

Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.

Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, starting in his first term, but hasn't followed through. In 2020, for example, he threatened to use the act to quell protests after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.

“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.

The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.

In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.

Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.

“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in Los Angeles and Chicago and despite seeing initial success, have tended to fizzle in the face of appeal. In Chicago, for example, last year a judge ordered a senior U.S. Border Patrol official to brief her nightly following a lawsuit by news outlets and protesters who said agents used too much force during demonstrations. But three days later, an appeals court stopped the updates.

Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.

Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.

Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.

The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.

St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.

Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.

Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. and Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Law enforcement officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A woman covers her face from tear gas as federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester throws back a tear gas canister during a protest after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)