Cauldron for Milan Cortina Winter Olympics lit at Italy's presidential palace with 2 months to go

ROME (AP) — A preliminary cauldron was lit by the Olympic flame at Italy’s presidential palace on Friday as the countdown to the Milan Cortina Winter Games approached the two-months-to-go mark.

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry and Italy President Sergio Mattarella were in attendance for the ceremony.

Organizers specified the cauldron is not the official Olympic one that will be lit at the opening ceremony but a version dedicated to the torch relay.

The flame touched down in Italy on Thursday following a handover in Greece.

The next Olympics will be held Feb. 6-22 across a wide swath of northern Italy.

A 63-day torch relay throughout Italy starts on Saturday from Rome’s statue-lined Stadio dei Marmi.

Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri is scheduled to be the first of 10,001 torchbearers.

The flame was lit on Nov. 26 in Ancient Olympia, the site of the ancient games that inspired the modern Olympic movement.

The ceremony concluded with a flyover by the Italian Air Force’s acrobatic unit Frecce Tricolori.

It’s the first time in nearly 20 years — since the 2006 Turin Games — that Italy has hosted the flame.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Organizing Committee President Giovanni Malagò passes the torch to the Italian President Sergio Mattarella during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, center is flanked by Veneto region President Luca Zaia, left, and vice president of Italy's Council of Ministers Matteo Salvini attend the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting, in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry delivers her speech during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting, in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Italian President Sergio Mattarella delivers his speech during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting, in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry delivers her speech during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting, in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Cuirassiers stand next to the torch lantern prior to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting, in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A cuirassier holds the torch lantern prior to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics cauldron lighting, in front of the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Lando Norris is the Formula 1 title favorite ahead of a three-way decider in Abu Dhabi — which also means he has the most to lose.

He and teammate Oscar Piastri are each looking to win their first title, but Norris saw his comfortable 24-point lead entering last week's Qatar Grand Prix whittled down to 12 by the end of it as Red Bull's Max Verstappen surged back into the fight.

“Of course, I have the most to lose because I am the one at the top,” Norris said Thursday. “I’ll do my best to stay there till the end of the year, a few more days. At the same time, if it doesn’t go my way, then I'll try again next year. It’ll hurt probably for a little while, but that’s life.”

The only way Norris can lose the title is if he finishes Sunday's race outside the top three. His pace in Friday's first practice session suggested that's unlikely as was fastest ahead of Verstappen, though only by .008 of a second. Charles Leclerc was third, 0.016 off the pace for Ferrari.

Still, the session wasn't a reliable guide to race pace. It was held in daytime, not under lights, and only 11 of the 20 regular drivers took part. Piastri was among those to give up his car as teams pushed to meet a rule requiring them to field young or inexperienced drivers in a certain number of practice sessions each year.

Norris has denied he'll ask Piastri to help out to at least ensure one McLaren driver becomes champion if it seems Verstappen will take the title.

Verstappen’s chances were revived when McLaren botched a strategy call in Qatar, one race after Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.

The one contender who's been in a final-race decider before, Verstappen said he's “just enjoying being here” in a season where his title defense often seemed impossible.

“I have four of those at home, so it’s nice to add a fifth,” he said Thursday, looking at the trophy standing next to him.

“I’ve already achieved everything that I wanted to achieve in F1 and everything is just a bonus. I just keep doing it because I love it and I enjoy it and that’s also how I go into this weekend. Have a good time out there, try to maximize the result.”

Verstappen was 104 points off the lead at one stage, and wrote his chances off again when he wasn't competitive in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, three races ago.

Piastri had a 34-point lead in August and seemed on target to become the first Australian champion in 45 years. He hasn't won in eight races since.

With only a slim shot at the title, Piastri could face the dilemma of whether to sacrifice his own bid for Norris. “I don’t really have an answer until I know what’s expected of me," he said.

Piastri showed good pace to take second spot in Qatar last week, though he was left “speechless” after a race dominated by McLaren's wrong strategy call.

“Obviously, I need a fair few things to happen this weekend to come out champion," he said, "but I’ll just make sure I’m in the right place at the right time and see what happens.”

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

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands gets ready for the first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during a first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain gets ready for the first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands walks through the paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia arrives for the first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain walks through the paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)