Yesterday, the 2017 Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix took place in Monza. As is tradition, the national anthem of the host country of the grand prix is performed prior to the beginning of the race. This time, the honour went to former Eurovision star Francesca Michielin. Guess what, she certainly didn’t disappoint!
Putting her own twist on her national anthem
National anthem performances tend to be fairly predictable affairs. You usually see a powerful vocalist belting out the passionate lyrics for their fellow compatriots to sing along to. However, Francesca turned such predictability on its head! She chose to play the drum during her performance and turned the piece into a fantastically dramatic and even more euphoric anthem!
The 2016 Eurovision star is a big F1 fan! If you check out her Twitter feed, you can see Francesca having the time of her life over the weekend as she explores the F1 paddock. In addition, she attended the Austrian F1 Grand Prix earlier this year.
L'Italia chiamò, sì! 🇮🇹🏎 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/4zLOiXk6nO
— Francesca Michielin (@francescacheeks) September 3, 2017
Francesca isn’t the first Italian Eurovision star to be given the honour of singing the national anthem at the F1 Grand Prix. In 2015, Il Volo was given the nod a few months after their third place finish in Vienna. Watch their performance here.
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