• F1 Grid Gigs presented by American Express returns in Monza, bringing the pre-race entertainment spectacle to the Italian Grand Prix for the first time.  
• Grammy Award-winning Italian singer-songwriter, Laura Pausini, will headline ahead of the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2026.
• The performance will be streamed internationally and available to fans attending the Grand Prix, as well as across Formula 1’s social media channels. 

Formula 1 is bringing the music to fans around the world with the return of F1 Grid Gigs presented by American Express. The pre-race entertainment show which debuted in Austin last year and returned in Miami earlier this year, will return bigger than ever at the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2026. Grammy Award-winning Italian artist, Laura Pausini, will take to the F1 Grid Gigs stage, for a show designed with fans in mind that blends a unique mixture of music and motorsport.  

Record-breaking singer-songwriter and global pop icon, Laura Pausini has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and achieved over 8 billion streams during her thirty-year career. As the first and only Italian artist to win a Grammy Award and enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, Pausini has been named by Billboard USA as one of the 10 best Latin pop artists worldwide. To date, Pausini has won five Latin Grammy Awards and was celebrated by the Latin Recording Academy as “Person of the Year 2023”. As the only Italian female singer to win a Golden Globe, Pausini has also been a nominee at the Emmy Awards and the Oscars. 

Launched in 2025, F1 Grid Gigs was created to elevate the pre‑race spectacle for fans at home, transforming the grid into a live stage and delivering unmissable entertainment in the moments before the drivers go wheel to wheel on track. This season has already seen Colombian urban music star Manuel Turizo perform at the return of F1 Grid Gigs in Miami, with further shows still to come, including its next stop in Austin. 

The show is available for fans attending the Grand Prix and will also be livestreamed across Formula 1 social media platforms. The expansion of F1 Grid Gigs celebrates Formula 1’s continued connection with world class musicians, creating unforgettable moments for fans both at track and watching at home. 

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: 

“Monza is a unique fixture in the history of Formula 1, where passion and energy are felt in a special way. This year we are delighted to welcome Laura Pausini, an extraordinary Italian artist known and loved all over the world, who will perform in front of a sold-out crowd with our fans tuning in from all over the world. It will be a special moment and yet another example of how we aim to make our events ever more engaging for fans. Grid Gigs, in partnership with AMEX, has already been a huge success and we can’t wait to experience this fantastic event together in Monza.” 

Geronimo La Russa, ACI President, said:  

“It is an honour to have with us, as a protagonist of this exceptional event, an internationally renowned artist such as Laura Pausini. It is yet another testament to how Italian excellence is at the heart of what is undoubtedly our country’s premier sporting event, one that is achieving record attendance on a global scale.” 

Laura Pausini, said: 

“Performing at the 2026 opening of the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d’Italia is going to be so much fun. It’s not my first time attending a Formula 1 race, but it will be my first time performing at one, which makes it even more exciting. Bringing my music to this event in front of an audience united by the same passion and energy is an incredible joy. Music and Formula 1 have something in common: they both thrive on adrenaline and emotion and I can’t wait to share this moment and be part of an opening that celebrates this extraordinary energy.”