Pressure off for F1 leader Antonelli heading into home grand prix in Italy

MONZA, Italy (AP) — No longer a teenager, Kimi Antonelli is keen to show just how much he has progressed as he prepares for his home grand prix, even though he has to start at the back of the grid.

It was two years ago at Monza that Antonelli was given his Formula 1 debut. It lasted just 10 minutes as the youngster was involved in a high-speed crash in the first practice session for the Italian Grand Prix.

Now Antonelli, who turned 20 last week, arrives as the championship leader.

“That definitely was not the way I wanted to introduce myself into the sport,” Antonelli said. “If someone, while I was walking off in the gravel, would have said, ‘In two years you’re going to be leading the world championship in this exact moment,’ I would have said, ‘Shut up … don’t joke with me.’

“But it’s happening. And I’m very, very, very happy, very grateful. And just got to keep pushing.”

Antonelli is bidding to become F1’s youngest ever champion. He's the first Italian to lead the standings going into his home race since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

His chances of becoming the first Italian driver to win at Monza in 60 years have been hampered by a hefty grid penalty after Mercedes opted to swap his car’s power unit to head off potential reliability problems in the second half of the season.

Monza is a high speed track where Mercedes’ engine is likely to be strong, and overtaking is relatively easy, giving Antonelli a chance to make up places and thrilling the fans as he slices through the field.

Antonelli admits his chances of winning from the back are slim, but that removes the pressure from his young shoulders.

“I’d very much rather fight for pole and start at the front,” he said. “But in some ways I feel like it makes me a bit more relaxed going into the weekend. And I think also that’s why I’m going to be able to enjoy more the driving and the weekend itself.

“The goal is always the same and we’re going to try to maximize the result … but definitely I feel very free mentally going into this weekend. I’m actually very excited, very much looking forward to it, but with no real pressure.”

Antonelli leads teammate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 59 points, with defending champion Lando Norris 24 points further back.

The race is always special for Ferrari, with the circuit packed with passionate, red-clad tifosi. And they had something to celebrate right from the off as both Ferraris topped the first practice session on Friday, with Charles Leclerc edging Hamilton.

Leclerc was second fastest in the second practice, sandwiched between the two Mercedes. He was 0.120 behind Russell and very marginally quicker than Antonelli. Hamilton was fifth fastest, just behind Norris.

Ferrari is also commemorating the 30th anniversary of Michael Schumacher’s first Italian GP victory with the team and has a special livery on the cars. Hamilton and Leclerc will also wear race suits featuring the seven stars Schumacher had on his helmet to signify his seven world titles.

Ferrari has upgraded its engine to boost its chances of a second win at Monza in three years but that is not troubling Norris, who is bidding to make it a hat trick of victories to turbocharge his title defense after back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Netherlands.

“I’m not worried at all,” the McLaren driver said. “I mean they’ve been very competitive, it probably will make them more competitive. Good on them, they’ll make our life a bit trickier.

“It’s not a worry, we just have to keep focused on our own job. We know it’s a different track … we’ve won two races but it’s not like we’ve been competitive the whole season and we know that there are things we still need to work on.”

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy prepares for the second free practice ahead of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the first free practice ahead of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy prepares for the first free practice ahead of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, in Monza, Italy, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain arrives in the paddock prior to the first free practice ahead of Sunday's Italy Grand Prix, at the Monza racetrack, Italy, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain gestures during a news conference ahead of Sunday's Italy Grand Prix, at the Monza racetrack, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy gestures during a news conference ahead of Sunday's Italy Grand Prix, at the Monza racetrack, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy arrives to attend a news conference ahead of Sunday's Italy Grand Prix, at the Monza racetrack, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Israel has released four more Lebanese civilians who had been detained by its forces in southern Lebanon. Ship traffic remains low on the Strait of Hormuz days after the U.S. and Iran exchanged attacks for the first time in a month. And fighting has intensified in Yemen between Iran-backed rebels and government forces.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Israel released four Lebanese civilians to Lebanese authorities on Friday as part of a deal between the countries, a day after the first was freed. All had been detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, where troops now occupy a large swath in the wake of new fighting with Hezbollah that began two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

Israel on Thursday said it had agreed to release them after Lebanon provided assistance in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who went missing in the 1980s during Lebanon’s civil war.

Officials said the release comes as a result of U.S. mediation and negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. Another round of talks is expected in Rome later this month.

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low after the renewed U.S. attacks on targets in Iran earlier this week and Iran's retaliatory attacks in the region, including firing at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday.

Fuel prices are again affected. Diesel hit a record price in the U.S. on Friday, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time ever.

The benchmark U.S. crude price rose above $91 a barrel with the new wave of uncertainty around traffic on the strait, which Iran continues to use as leverage after six months of war with the U.S.

Iran’s Army spokesperson said Friday that recent strikes carried out by Iran “had both a deterrent aspect and a preemptive aspect.”

In an interview with Iran’s state TV, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akramnia said that since the 12-day war in 2025, Iran has been moving in the direction of preemptive warfare and acting for deterrence, which he said is “permissible” under the United Nations Charter.

“In several cases, before they attacked us and committed aggression, we acted for deterrence, in order to genuinely deter them from aggression,” he said of the United States.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stated that it carries out retaliatory strikes on its neighboring Gulf countries to target U.S. facilities and interests in the region, and in response to U.S. strikes.

Fighting intensified overnight between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces along Yemen’s west coast near an important supply route.

An official with the internationally recognized government's health ministry told The Associated Press there were an unspecified number of casualties on both sides in the fighting in mountainous Taiz province. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak with the media. A military official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media, confirmed casualties on both sides.

Jabal Nu’man overlooks a major supply route for Yemeni government forces between Taiz province and Mokha, a port city heavily targeted by the Houthis in recent weeks.

The Houthis’ expansion of attacks in these areas appears to indicate an effort to gain full control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, according to Mohamed Abdelrahman, a Taiz province spokesperson.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior analyst on Yemen at the International Crisis Group, told the AP that the Houthis want to take control of the mountains overlooking the coast.

— Ahmed al-Haj in Aden, Yemen, and Fatma Khaled in Cairo

This story has been corrected to show that the name of the Iranian Army spokesperson is Mohammad Akramnia instead of Akrami Nia. The story was also corrected to show that Abdelrahman’s first name is Mohamed, not Moahmed.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A boy plays with a toy truck on a beach along the Strait of Hormuz in Kuhestak, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A boy plays with a toy truck on a beach along the Strait of Hormuz in Kuhestak, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman relaxes along the rocky shoreline as commercial vessels lie anchored off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man, woman and boy ride a motorcycle along the waterfront as commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A Red Cross convoy passes a Lebanese checkpoint near the border with Israel in the southern village of Mansouri, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) CORRECTION: A Red Cross convoy, instead of U.N. peacekeeper convoy

A man rests at a waterfront shelter as commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)