Team bosses are defending grid girls in Formula 1. Liberty Media’s F1 sporting boss, Ross Brawn, recently said the practice of having women fulfil the role as grid girls in the sport is under review. Driver Max Verstappen insisted last week, “The grid girls must stay.” And Nico Hulkenberg added, “It would be a pity if they took the eye jewellery from the grid.”
Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne joined the fray this week by supporting the idea of grid girls, and now his Italian colleague and Ferrari F1 team principal Maurzio Arrivabene agrees.”Grid girls were an integral part of Formula 1 for many years,” Arrivabene said. “I think Ross Brawn has more complex and important things to take care of.”
Three-time F1 champion and Mercedes executive chairman Niki Lauda told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV, “The emancipation of women is perfectly right, and in fact they are in the process of overtaking us. But why should they not be allowed to stand on the grid anymore?” Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko said of the proposed grid girl ban, “I just cannot imagine that. In America, cheerleaders appear before, during and after every game, so I see no reason why this should not be done in Formula 1. “I think we have other worries.”
It seems some Formula 1 drivers, and at least a few fans and even members of the media, hope grid girls remain a part of Formula 1 in the future. In an increasingly progressive world and under the new Liberty Media regime, F1’s use of scantily clad women on the grid is “under strong review,” according to sporting director Ross Brawn. “There’s a lot of people who respect the tradition, and there’s people who feel that it has become a bit dated, so we’re addressing that,” Brawn told the BBC.
Max Verstappen, the 20-year-old Red Bull driver, made his opinion on the matter very clear, telling Bild newspaper: “The grid girls must stay.” Nico Hulkenberg added: “It would be a pity if they took the eye jewellery from the grid. What will come next year instead? Halo? Oh dear.”
