It's Kimi Antonelli's Formula 1 title “to lose” or so his Mercedes teammate George Russell says. At the Monaco Grand Prix this week, for once they might both lose.
The 19-year-old Antonelli has won four races in a row for a vast 43-point lead and, between him and Russell, Mercedes has won every grand prix this year.
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Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy prepares at pits during the second free practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. The Formula one race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the first free practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. The Formula one race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Winner Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, center, of Italy, smiles after being sprayed by his team following the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Mercedes driver George Russell, of Britain, walks through the paddock at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ferrari went fastest in both practice sessions on Friday as hometown hero Charles Leclerc and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton showed they could be the ones to end the Mercedes streak.
The Canadian Grand Prix spiced up the title race as Russell and Antonelli battled wheel to wheel for lap after lap, only for an engine failure on Russell's car to spoil the show.
“You’ve got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can lose it. And I think it’s his to lose," Russell said on Thursday. “So, my mindset is to enjoy every single race, try and win every single race. I just need to continue being the guy who’s coming out on top, even if he’s the one at the moment who’s getting the results.”
Mercedes has had the car to beat all year but it might be Ferrari in front in Monaco. Leclerc's and Hamilton's cars have a smaller turbocharger which might give them a quicker kick of power out of the many slow corners.
“If there’s one track I would bet on us, it’s probably Monaco,” said Leclerc, who's fresh off signing a new contract at Ferrari.
Leclerc backed up that talk in Friday's first practice session, going fastest by .226 of a second ahead of teammate Hamilton. Max Verstappen was third fastest, .513 off the pace, bumping Antonelli and Russell down to fourth and fifth.
Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar crashed into the barriers to cause a brief stoppage.
Hamilton led the way in the second session, beating Leclerc by .111, with Verstappen third fastest, Russell fourth and Antonelli fifth.
It was a day to forget for McLaren ahead of its 1,000th race in F1 as Lando Norris stopped on track in the second practice after losing power. He and Oscar Piastri struggled to match the pace of Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull.
Monaco's tight and twisty streets create a race unlike any other. Three-time world champion Nelson Piquet likened it to riding a bicycle around your living room.
This year, it feels almost like a different class of racing altogether.
For the first time, there's a de facto speed limiter reducing electrical power when the car is going over 200 kph (124 mph) on safety grounds, and the new-for-2026 moving aerodynamic parts for straight-line speed won't be used in Monaco. Essentially, the track is being treated like one big corner.
Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren have put miniature “winglets” on their cars for extra downforce instead of the components that would usually move the wings.
Monaco races tend to be processions, but qualifying is tense and often spectacular, all the more so because grid position is extra important when overtaking in Sunday's race is near impossible.
With Cadillac on the grid, there will be two more cars on track for a total of 22. That could make qualifying more of a lottery, especially the extra crowded first session.
Old-school glamor and modern glitz collided on Thursday night as F1 used a swarm of 3,000 drones over Monaco's port to announce a 10-year contract extension for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Monaco pioneered the mix of casinos, celebrity and street racing that fuel Las Vegas' F1 project. Since its 2023 debut following F1's boom in the United States, Las Vegas has become a contender to surpass Monaco as the standout social event on the calendar.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali called Las Vegas the “premier destination for great racing, world-class entertainment, global business leaders, A-list celebrities and influencers” on Thursday. It was a description that until recently only applied to Monaco.
Las Vegas was the first race F1 promoted in-house, in effect a big bet on the U.S. market and one that so far seems to be paying off.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy prepares at pits during the second free practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. The Formula one race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the first free practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. The Formula one race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the first free Formula One practice at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Winner Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, center, of Italy, smiles after being sprayed by his team following the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Mercedes driver George Russell, of Britain, walks through the paddock at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting on the 4-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it.
Thursday's letter, the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power as well as some taunts about his age.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin described Zelenskyy’s open letter proposing the meeting as “boorish.”
“Is it a way to create conditions for personal meetings and talks, or create an environment which makes any personal meetings impossible?” Putin said at a question-and-answer session at his annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “I think it’s the second.”
Putin added that a Russian businessman whom he didn’t identify traveled to Kyiv last month and met with Zelenskyy to hear his offer of a personal meeting.
However, Putin said that he currently sees “no point” in such a meeting, especially after a May 22 drone attack by Ukraine on a college dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that Moscow said killed 21 and wounded scores of others.
In response to Zelenskyy’s barbs about his age and long stay in power, the 73-year-old Putin pointed at other global leaders who are older, adding that “the main thing isn’t age; the main thing is the ability to work.”
He also mocked Zelenskyy's rocky Oval Office meeting in 2025 and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for “educating” Zelenskyy “before the eyes of the whole world” and teaching him a proper dress code.
“There is still a lot to be done,” he said.
Zelenskyy acknowledged shifting U.S. priorities, saying it would be wrong to simply wait for the Trump administration to return its attention to ending the fighting in Ukraine while it remains heavily focused on the Iran war.
In Washington, Trump said Thursday it “would be great” if Putin and Zelenskyy meet.
Putin has previously offered for Zelenskyy to come to Moscow for talks, an offer that the Ukrainian leader pointedly rejected. Putin said last month he doesn’t exclude a meeting in a third country, but only when there is a deal to sign.
On Thursday, Putin again rejected Zelenskyy’s push for an immediate ceasefire, arguing that Moscow wants a comprehensive settlement, not a temporary truce.
Putin said Russia is open for a compromise on Ukraine in line with understandings reached at his last year’s summit with Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, adding that Ukraine needs to accept them to make a deal to end the conflict.
“Naturally, the Ukrainian side would like us to suspend the advances made by Russian troops,” he said. “But it would be better to end the war by agreeing to the compromises that were discussed in Anchorage.”
Asked about Iran, Putin voiced hope for an eventual deal to secure lasting peace. He shrugged off claims that Moscow provided Iran with satellite images, saying that Tehran could use widely available commercial ones.
"As for weapons, Iran hasn’t asked us for them and we haven’t supplied any weapons to Iran,” he said, adding that Russia stands ready to take enriched uranium for storage as part of a potential peace deal, and that Moscow has stayed in contact with Iran, the U.S. and Israel.
In a speech earlier Friday at the forum, Putin said developing countries have gained an increasingly important role in the global economy, while the share of output by Western countries has shrunk.
He accused the West of undermining the global economy and finances with unilateral sanctions. By freezing Russian assets abroad through sanctions, Western nations eroded trust in their own currencies, he said.
“The sanctions and blocking of Russia’s sovereign reserves have irreversibly impacted the standing of international currencies, the dollar and the euro,” he said. “Just like Russia, any other country could lose access to their legitimate assets in dollars or euros, as well as Western financial and payment systems.”
He alleged that high state debt had helped undermine global trust in Western institutions.
“The roots of the current global turbulence lie in the transition from a vertical, hierarchical model, which served the interests of a small number of states, to a more complex, distributed and multipolar one,” Putin said. “Russia views global changes not only as a threat but also as immense opportunities. And to capitalize on them, we aim to act swiftly and pragmatically.”
The Russian leader said the world needed a “modern, flexible and responsible financial architecture — free from risks, bans and barriers.”
Putin played down Russia’s economic slowdown and sought to emphasize its macroeconomic stability. He noted that Russia’s state debt is a fraction of that in Western countries and its budget deficit is considerably smaller, compared with the West.
The forum comes at a time when Russia’s economic outlook has clouded amid the conflict in Ukraine. The government raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep its budget deficit under control.
On Thursday, Putin told heads of international media on the forum's sidelines that it was an exaggeration to say Russia's economy was struggling. He noted that his government had taken deliberate steps to cool the economy to keep inflation under control.
Putin has used the St. Petersburg forum, likened to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to showcase his country’s economic advances and encourage foreign investment. While Western officials and business leaders have stayed away after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, Russia has sought guests from elsewhere to underline its declared goal of promoting a “multipolar world.”
Saudi Arabia sent a large delegation this year, and the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania and vice president of China also gave speeches Friday. A U.S. official, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., head of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, is attending for the first time in years.
Cook was singled out in the audience during a question-and-answer session following Putin's speech. Cook praised the beauty of St. Petersburg and Putin thanked him for the remarks about his hometown and asked to convey his greetings to Trump.
Hours before the forum opened Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and also hit a nearby naval base.
Putin declared that Russia was “calmly and resolutely” moving to reach its goals in Ukraine. He acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russia and vowed to build up defenses.
“They do inflict a certain damage,” he said. “For us, it means only one thing: we need to strengthen our security, strengthen air defenses, and we will do that.”
Participants watch a broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on a TV screen during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
A participant watches a broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on a TV screen during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, left, and Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev sit near during a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Russian President Vladimir Putin sits prior to a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures speaking at a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
In this photo released by the Roscongress Foundation, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (Kirill Kazachkov/Roscongress Foundation via AP)
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev addresses a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
People visit an exhibition at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (Anatoly Maltsev/Pool Photo via AP)
People visit an exhibition at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (Anatoly Maltsev/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he arrives to attend a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
In this photo released by the Roscongress Foundation, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan arrive to attend a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026. (Vyacheslav Viktorov/Roscongress Foundation via AP)
