The singer-songwriter is a huge sports fan: “But I don’t talk about soccer on social media anymore since a team turned the fans against me. I love F1, but Ferrari depresses me: it pains me to see Hamilton struggling.”
The places Francesca Michielin returns to in her memory are those of her childhood passions. The first stadium, where her love of soccer began, the colorful images of F1 cars, the athletics field, the gym where she practiced artistic gymnastics. Photographs that today depict her in all her facets “there are many, but they make me who I am.” An artist, a singer-songwriter, and a musician. And a great sports fan.
What was the first sport you became passionate about as a child?
“I would say Formula 1. I remember when, as a child, my brother and I would read the newspapers and play a game of memorizing the names of the drivers and recognizing the cars. That was the beginning of a great love that has intensified over the years.”
What about soccer?
“I’ve always loved that too. I went to see my first game in ’98 or ’99, and it was Vicenza vs. Juventus when Vicenza was still in Serie A. I remember the excitement of the stadium, the players, the music… it’s something that stays with you when you’re little, like an imprint.”
You dedicated a song to Fernando Alonso. Has he always been your favorite driver?
“Yes. He’s a bit of an anti-hero in F1, and I’ve always liked to root for the more difficult characters, who aren’t always as well-liked as drivers like Michael Schumacher. Fernando is edgy, and that’s why he fascinated me right from the start.”
How did the song dedicated to him come about?
“I wrote it between 2016 and 2017, at a very difficult time in his career: he was at McLaren, nothing was going right, and I felt the need to write something that described that moment but also the journey that had taken him there.”
What was it like to meet him?
“I met him for the first time in Spielberg on the weekend of the 2017 Grand Prix, in the McLaren pit, after the song was released: he was very happy, he loved the album, and that’s where our friendship began.”
Apart from Alonso, is there a current F1 driver who has stolen your heart?
“Tsunoda! He’s also a bit of an anti-hero: he looks like a manga character who arrives in Formula 1 and immediately makes a name for himself with absurd team radio messages full of swear words. And then I like the fact that he has worked so hard on himself and his self-control.”
Are you excited about this F1 season?
“No, not really. Ferrari’s situation depresses me, and seeing Hamilton struggling makes me suffer. I hope he can pull something out of the hat because, given how he lost the World Championship in 2021, he deserves to win another one before retiring.”
Where does your support for Juventus come from?
“I grew up in a family that supports both Juventus and Vicenza. My mom is more of a Vicenza fan, my dad is a Juventus fan, and they both passed on this ‘dual’ passion to me and my brother.”
Do you like going to the stadium?
“Very much so. I hope that the stadium will once again become a more popular and accessible place for everyone because, for me, it’s a great shared experience.“
What is your relationship with fans on social media like?
”I’ve stopped commenting on anything related to soccer. When I cheer, I don’t recognize myself, I’m possessed… but I’ve had bad experiences in the past with a soccer team that turned all the fans against me on social media after a comment I made. So now I prefer to avoid it.“
Your soccer idol is Alessandro Del Piero. Did you meet him like you did Alonso?
”No, and I don’t want to. He’s a legend and I want him to stay that way. Once in Monza during the Grand Prix, I ran into him in the pit lane and we said hello. I said, ‘Hi, you know what I think of you,’ and then I left because he’s such a legend to me that I don’t want to get to know him better: sometimes heroes have to remain heroes.”
Are you passionate about other sports too?
“Athletics, artistic gymnastics… lots of sports. I did athletics in middle school and artistic gymnastics for almost ten years. What I like about athletics is that it’s a sport that puts everyone on the same level: boys train with girls, and it’s important to interact on the sports field at that age.”
What do you think of the women’s movement in motorsport?
“I really like seeing the energy of the movement. Starting with Susie Wolff and the F1 Academy: they are creating their own space in an environment that has always been predominantly male.”
A commitment that you bring to the stage: in your concert at the Arena di Verona, the musicians were all women.
“Exactly, I decided to bring together songwriters and musicians I already worked with, all on the same stage. Because I think representation is fundamental: giving more space to talented women in the world of music helps to shine a light on them.”
What was the genesis of this great concert at the Arena?
“I wanted to create a party that put music at the center. Bringing friends together on stage, artistic and musical influences, taking care of every detail from the looks to the arrangements. It was a slightly crazy dream that turned into reality.”
Speaking of dreams: if Francesca could be an athlete, what sport would she like to excel in and what would she like to win?
“I would like to be a long jumper, because it’s a sport I used to do and really enjoyed. So I would say a long jumper who wins Olympic gold. It’s impossible to dream of anything more than that.”
