Formula 1 ‘gives in to PC brigade’ by ditching its grid girls
After darts axes ladies...
‘We are living in different times’ ‘They are part of the sport’s attraction’
FORMULA One is to stop using grid girls at motor races after bosses said the tradition failed to reflect modern values.
F1 becomes the latest sport to stop employing attractive young women at competitions, after the Professional Darts Corporation said last week that so-called walk-on girls would no longer escort male players to the oche.
Grid girls, whose roles included carrying name-boards and umbrellas to shield drivers as they sit in their cars before a race, have been involved with Formula One for decades. But they will be missing when the new season begins with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 25.
The decision was revealed by Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations at Formula One.
‘Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport,’ he said. ‘While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula One for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms.
‘We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new, across the world.’
Famous former grid girls include Katie Price, who worked with Eddie Jordan’s racing team before changing her name to Jordan, TV presenter Melinda Messenger and Emma Noble, the former wife of Sir John Major’s son James.
Debate has surrounded the girls’ role for years. At the Monaco Grand Prix in 2015 local organisers opted to have ‘grid boys’ instead of girls, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel asking afterwards: ‘Why didn’t we have any grid girls today? You get there and park behind George or Dave. What’s the point?’
Yesterday’s announcement received a mixed reception. Sir Jackie Stewart, 78, a three-time Formula One world champion, said he understood the reasons behind the change.
‘Sometimes it is better to take preventative medicine and that is what Formula One is doing,’ he said.
‘Every day I read about a different scandal, and F1 and its blue-chip partners do not need to be involved with that. I don’t think it is a shame or a controversial decision. These are different times that we are living in.’
However, part-time grid girl Charlotte Gash told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘It’s upsetting and I’m rather disgusted that F1 have given in to the minority to be politically correct. I’m one of the lucky ones that I don’t rely on this as a main source of income, but there are girls out there who do.’
Rebecca Cooper, a model and grid girl, tweeted: ‘So the inevitable has happened, F1 grid girls have been banned. Ridiculous that women who say they are “fighting for women’s rights” are saying what others should and shouldn’t do, stopping us from doing a job we love and are proud to do. PC gone mad.’
In December, Eddie Jordan came out in support of grid girls, saying they had benefited his former F1 team.
He said: ‘It was certainly instrumental in us getting a lot more coverage on TV, radio and certainly all sorts of media and the photography side of things were huge for us and that’s why we did it and that’s what we gained out of it. Katie Price changed her name because she thought Jordan was pretty cool.’
Christian Horner – principal of the Red Bull team and husband of former Spice Girl Geri Horner – added at the time: ‘We live in a modern society and we have to be open to everything. Women play a key role, and borrowing a phrase from my wife, Girl Power is very strong in Formula One.’
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo said grid girls were ‘part of the attraction of the sport’ and ‘a nice little cool thing for everyone’.
Last night, former Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone slammed the decision, insisting grid girls were a muchloved part of the sport.
‘The country at the moment is getting a bit prudish,’ he told The Sun. ‘You should be allowed to have grid girls because the drivers like them, the audience like them and no one cares. These girls were part of the show, part of the spectacle.
‘I can’t see how a good-looking girl standing with a driver and a number in front of a Formula One car can be offensive to anybody.’
Veteran F1 commentator Murray Walker, 94, suggested that removing grid girls would not have a major impact, telling the Mail: ‘I really couldn’t be bothered either way.’