Formula 1 announced Wednesday it will stop using "grid girls" and "podium girls" at races.
Formula 1 and other professional racing organizations have traditionally incorporated women into racing day by allowing them to serve as grid girls, who accompany drivers to their cars before races, and podium girls, who present awards and sometimes kiss the winners at the end of races
“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,” Formula 1 said in a statement Wednesday. “We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”
Under the ownership of USA-based Liberty Media since 2016, Formula 1 follows in the footsteps of the Australian V8 Supercars series which stopped using grid girls in 2016 and the British Professional Darts Corporation which recently agreed to stop using “walk-on” girls.
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