Formula One has announced that they will no longer use so-called “Grid Girls” for their events beginning with the 2018 racing season.
The new F1 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 25, 2018.
“While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 grands prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms,” explained Sean Bratches, F1’s managing director of commercial operations. “We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”
So-called ‘Grid girls’ are models used to conduct certain promotional tasks, usually wearing clothing that bears the name of a sponsor. In Formula One, their duties included holding umbrellas or driver name-boards on the grid and lining the corridor through which the drivers walk on their way to the podium.