Laura Pausini will perform live on the Monza starting grid before the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, with Formula 1 bringing its F1 Grid Gigs entertainment format to Italy for the first time. The internationally renowned Italian singer will take centre stage shortly before the race begins at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
The performance will add another major attraction to one of the most anticipated weekends of the Formula 1 season, when Ferrari returns to its home Grand Prix in front of the Tifosi. Interest in the event is already exceptionally high, with Sunday tickets for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix already sold out.
Laura Pausini to perform on the Monza grid before 2026 Italian GP
Pausini will headline the F1 Grid Gigs programme presented by American Express, performing on a stage positioned directly on the grid before the start of the Italian Grand Prix. Spectators at Monza will be able to watch the show from the circuit, while Formula 1 will also broadcast the performance internationally through its social media channels.
The initiative was introduced by Formula 1 in 2025 as a way of turning the final build-up to a Grand Prix into a live entertainment experience combining music with the atmosphere of the starting grid. The format made its debut in Austin before returning at Miami during the 2026 season, where Colombian singer Manuel Turizo performed.
Monza will now host F1 Grid Gigs for the first time, placing one of Italy’s most internationally recognised performers at the centre of the pre-race programme. The event comes during a particularly significant home weekend for Ferrari, which is also preparing a special red, black and gold SF-26 livery for Monza.
Laura Pausini prepares for first Formula 1 Grand Prix performance
Although Laura Pausini has attended Formula 1 races before, the 2026 Italian Grand Prix will mark the first time she has performed as part of a Grand Prix event. Pausini explained that opening the Italian GP would be an enjoyable and particularly exciting experience because, despite previously attending races, she had never performed during an F1 weekend.
The Italian artist also highlighted what she sees as a natural connection between music and Formula 1. Pausini explained that bringing her music to an audience united by passion and energy would be an extraordinary experience, adding that both music and Formula 1 are driven by adrenaline and emotion. She indicated that she was looking forward to sharing that moment with the Monza crowd.
Pausini arrives at the event after a career spanning more than three decades. She has sold more than 75 million records and accumulated over eight billion streams, while her achievements include a Grammy Award, five Latin Grammy Awards and recognition as the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in 2023.
She is also described as the first and, so far, only Italian artist to have both won a Grammy Award and entered the US Billboard Hot 100.
Will Laura Pausini sing the Italian national anthem at Monza?
One detail remains unresolved ahead of the Italian Grand Prix: it has not yet been confirmed whether Pausini will also perform the Italian national anthem, the Inno di Mameli, before the start of the race.
Her confirmed Grid Gigs appearance is therefore separate from any possible national anthem performance. Further details are expected during Italian GP race week, when additional information about the pre-race programme could emerge.
The Italian Grand Prix forms the next major stop on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, with Monza once again providing the setting for one of the championship’s most distinctive weekends.
Stefano Domenicali welcomes a major Italian name to Monza
Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali emphasised the significance of bringing Laura Pausini to the Italian Grand Prix. He described Monza as having a unique place in Formula 1 history because of the passion and energy associated with the circuit, while expressing Formula 1’s pleasure at welcoming an Italian artist with such extensive international recognition.
Domenicali also linked the performance to Formula 1’s broader objective of making Grand Prix weekends increasingly immersive for spectators. He indicated that the Grid Gigs concept had already proved highly successful and described Pausini’s appearance at Monza as another example of the championship’s efforts to expand the fan experience beyond the racing itself.
ACI president Geronimo La Russa highlights Italian excellence
ACI President Geronimo La Russa also welcomed the announcement, focusing on the significance of pairing a major Italian sporting event with an artist of Pausini’s international stature.
La Russa expressed his satisfaction at having such a renowned performer as the leading figure in the event and suggested that her participation further demonstrated how Italian excellence remains central to what he regards as the country’s leading sporting occasion.
Pausini’s performance will therefore become one of the main features surrounding the 2026 Italian Grand Prix before the focus shifts entirely to the starting grid and the race itself. It will also mark the first appearance of Formula 1’s Grid Gigs concept in front of the Monza crowd, combining an internationally recognised Italian artist with one of the championship’s most historic venues.
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