“We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”
The new Formula 1 World Championship season gets underway in March, with the controversial ‘grid girls’ set to be left on the sidelines.
The use of female promotional models has been under review since December, following arguments that the practice is outdated in today’s world.
In an official statement, Managing Director of Commercial Operations for Formula 1 Sean Bratches said that the change in approach will bring things “more in tune with our vision for this great sport.”
Grid girls have been a staple of Formula 1 for decades, but Bratches argued that the practice no longer reflects their “brand values”, and is “clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms.”
“We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world,” he added.
Not everyone is in agreement. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, part-time grid girl Charlotte Gash strongly criticised the move.
“It’s upsetting and I’m rather disgusted that F1 have given in to the minority to be politically correct,” she said.
“I’m one of the lucky ones in that I don’t rely on this as a main source of income, but there are girls out there who do.”
The news follows a similar move by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), who announced at the weekend that they will no longer use walk-on girls at their events.
