F1's Grid Gigs: A Performance at Monza Divides Fans
At Monza, the tifosi came for the scream of V6 engines. They got a power ballad instead.
Moments before lights out at the Italian Grand Prix, Formula 1’s pre-race build-up on Sky Sports F1 abruptly pivoted away from tyre talk and grid tension to a full live performance from Laura Pausini. F1’s “Grid Gigs” were back – and fans were split straight down the middle.
Music on the main stage
On the start-finish straight, a purpose-built stage rose above the grid as the Grammy Award-winning Italian star delivered a two-song set, backed by a live band. Pausini sang in Italian and Spanish, a home hero at a home race, fronting what F1 billed as its “biggest ever” Grid Gigs show.
This wasn’t just a treat for the grandstands. Sky’s coverage cut entirely to the concert, showing both songs in full before the presenters and pundits returned to the usual pre-race routine.
For some, it was exactly what modern F1 should be: spectacle, showbiz, and a global star in front of a global audience.
“Make F1 grid gigs a permanent fixture please – that was absolutely brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” one fan enthused on social media. Another, previously sceptical about the concept, admitted Pausini’s turn “can persuade me”.
The Monza crowd, draped in Ferrari red and soaking in late-summer sun, hardly seemed to mind an extra layer of theatre.
When build-up becomes backdrop
But away from the grandstands, plenty of viewers bristled at the timing. Cutting away from the final minutes of race build-up – the interviews, strategy chatter, and last shots of mechanics on the grid – proved a step too far for traditionalists.
“If ‘Grid Gigs’ are going to be a thing in the future, I might have to rethink when I start watching this coverage,” one fan wrote, voicing a frustration that echoed across timelines.
Another asked bluntly: “Was Sky F1 forced to show this?”
That suspicion gathered pace. “Have FOM forced Sky F1 to show this Grid Gigs thing, I wonder? I'm pretty sure they've never bothered with it in the past,” came another comment, reflecting a growing feeling that broadcasters had little choice in the matter.
Some viewers didn’t just object to the interruption; they simply didn’t like the show. The performance drew harsh labels from parts of the fanbase – “embarrassing” and “drivel” – even as others called it “amazing” and “emotional”. The divide was stark: those who see F1 as a racing series first and entertainment product second, and those happy to embrace both.
F1’s expanding stage
Pausini is no stranger to major sporting spotlights. Earlier this summer she appeared at the World Cup final in New Jersey, sharing the stage with Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger as they performed the ‘FIFA Anthem’, Desire, in front of a global TV audience.
F1 has been edging in that direction. The Grid Gigs concept debuted in Austin last year with country artist Drake Milligan performing before the United States Grand Prix. It resurfaced in Las Vegas with former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, then in Miami with Colombian singer-songwriter Manuel Turizo taking centre stage.
Monza marked the latest – and, by F1’s own description, the biggest – step in that evolution, with Pausini becoming the only Italian artist and the only Italian Grammy winner to front the series at her home race.
The official announcement had confirmed the show would be live-streamed across F1’s social media platforms. It said nothing about TV rights holders being obliged to carry the full performance. That silence only fuelled the sense among some fans that broadcasters had been nudged, if not pushed, into turning pre-race coverage into a concert window.
Racing vs. entertainment
This is where the tension now lies. F1 wants to be a sport and a show. A championship and a festival. For Liberty Media, Grid Gigs are a neat symbol of that ambition: big-name artists, big visuals, and a broader reach beyond the hardcore.
For the purists, Monza hit a nerve. The grid walk, the last-minute strategy hints, the sense of pressure building before the lights go out – these are sacred minutes. Interrupting that with a performance, however polished, feels like tampering with the ritual.
The reaction to Pausini’s set made one thing clear: fans are watching not just the racing, but how the sport chooses to present itself. And as F1 leans harder into the entertainment era, every decision like this raises the same question – how much show can you add before you drown out the sound of the start lights?
