Story highlights Formula One will stop the use of grid

"Custom does not resonate with our brand values"

(CNN) Formula One has announced it will end the practice of using "grid girls," starting from the first race of the 2018 World Championship in March.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Sean Bratches, the managing director of F1, said the "custom does not resonate with our brand values."

The new season begins on March 25, with the first grand prix being held in Melbourne, Australia.

"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," Bratches said.

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Read More</s>Walk-on grid girls will no longer be used before Formula One races, the sport's organisers have announced.

In a move which mirrors the Professional Darts Corporation's decision to end the long-established practice of women escorting male players to the stage, F1 will no longer use grid girls from this coming season.

"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," Sean Bratches, managing director of Commercial Operations at Formula 1, said in a statement.

"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.

"We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world."

The changes will also apply to other races which take place on Grand Prix weekends.

The 2018 F1 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 25 March.</s>In a statement released on Wednesday, Sean Bratches, the managing director of F1, said the "custom does not resonate with our brand values."

The new season begins on March 25, with the first grand prix being held in Melbourne, Australia.

"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," Bratches said.

"Grid girls" are generally used to promote brands and sponsorship deals, while they are also occasionally used during the presentation of trophies on the podium. "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," Bratches continued. "We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world." 'It's crazy that I have four world titles' 'It's crazy that I have four world titles' The decision comes four days after the Professional Darts Corporation also announced it would no longer be using "walk-on girls" to accompany men onto the stage.</s>Walk-on grid girls will no longer be used before Formula One races, the sport’s organisers have announced.

In a move which mirrors the Professional Darts Corporation’s decision to end the long-established practice of women escorting male players to the stage, F1 will no longer use grid girls from this coming season.

“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,” Sean Bratches, managing director of Commercial Operations at Formula 1, said in a statement.

“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.

“We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

Podium girls will also no longer be used at the start of the new season.

The changes will also apply to other races which take place on Grand Prix weekends.

Other sports still employ glamorous women under the guise of entertaining the crowd before and during events.

Boxing and UFC both have ‘ring girls’, who let the crowd know which round is coming up by holding up numbered cards, generally while wearing revealing outfits.

Cheerleaders are prevalent in American sports, with teams and franchises having their own professional cheerleading squads.

Cycling is another sport which traditionally uses ‘podium girls’ to pose with race winners and plant a kiss on their cheeks.

However, the Tour Down Under scrapped the use of podium girls last year and the Tour de Yorkshire instead chose to celebrate successful local businesswomen.

Cyclist Peter Sagan caused uproar in 2013 when he was pictured pinching the bottom of a podium girl after a Tour de France stage.</s>GRID GIRLS WILL no longer be used prior to Formula One races, the sport’s organisers have confirmed.

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) announced last week that they would no longer use walk-on girls, following discussions with broadcasters.

F1 will now follow suit, having stated the custom is “clearly at odds with modern-day societal norms”.

A statement on F1′s official website read: “Formula 1 will end the long-standing practice of using walk-on grid girls, commencing with the start of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. These changes also apply to our other motorsports series that take place during the grands prix weekends.

Formula 1 considers the time spent by teams and drivers on the grid before a race as one of celebration, where guests and various performers can add to the glamour and spectacle of the Grand Prix, enabling promoters and partners to showcase their countries and products.”

Sean Bratches, F1′s managing director, commercial operations, added: “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.

“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. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

The decision was welcomed by the Women’s Sport Trust, who had called on other sports to follow darts’ lead by ceasing to use walk-on girls.

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Gronkowski ‘ready to roll’ for Super Bowl despite remaining in concussion protocol</s>Formula One has announced today that it will stop its long standing practice of using grid girls because it feels that it is an area in the sport that needs "updating". This practice of employing women to stand on the grid and hold the flags, umbrellas or driver numbers dates back several decades of Formula One.

This announcement comes days after The Professional Darts Corporation decided to end the long-established practice of women escorting players to the stage. Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1, Sean Bratches, said: “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.

"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. "We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

The time before a race is normally a celebration, where guests and various performers can add to the glamour and spectacle of the Grand Prix and promoters and partners can showcase their countries and products. The new F1 season begins on March 25 with the 2018 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn criticised the decision taken in darts and said he refuses to take the same action with ring girls. He said: “The ring card girls are actually doing a job which they’ve done for many, many years which is letting people know what round is coming up”. Formula One's new owners Liberty Media have made various changes in terms of rebranding the sport since taking control one year ago.</s>There will be no more “grid girls” before Formula One races and no more “podium girls” celebrating with the drivers after them.

F1 said Wednesday it will end the long-standing practice of using women on the grid and on the podium with the top three drivers. The Formula One season starts on March 25 at the Australian Grand Prix.

“We feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms,” said Sean Bratches, F1’s managing director of commercial operations. “We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

At previous F1 races, women dressed in uniform would walk out onto the grid shortly before the start and then stand in front of each driver’s car, holding up the driver’s number. Women would also stand alongside the winner on the podium after the race.

The changes also apply to other motorsports series such as F2 that take place on GP weekends. F1 is owned by Liberty Media, which completed its takeover from former commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone in January 2017.

“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,” Bratches said.

F1’s decision was applauded by the Women’s Sport Trust a charity raising the visibility and increasing the impact of women’s sport.

“Thank you (at)F1 for deciding to stop using grid girls. Another sport making a clear choice about what they want to stand for,” the trust wrote on Twitter.

The Professional Darts Corporation has also scrapped “walk-on girls” before matches.

Other motorsports have stopped the usage of “grid girls.” The World Endurance Championship which hosts the famous 24 Hours Le Mans race stopped doing it prior to the start of the 2015 season.

As a one-off move, race organizers at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2015 replaced “grid girls” with “grid boys” men in short jeans a move scoffed at by four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel.

“Why didn’t we have any grid girls today?” Vettel said at the time. “You get there and park behind George or Dave. What’s the point?”

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App</s>Formula One is ending decades of tradition and has stated the motorsport will no longer use grid girls before races.

The move comes after darts body, the Professional Darts Corporation, said it would also scrap walk-on girls after holding talks with broadcasters.

Sports such as darts, boxing and Formula One have come under pressure not to use walk-on girls from critics and feminists who argued the practice was sexist and outdated.

Formula One managing director of commercial operations Sean Bratches said: "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.

"While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula One 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. We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new, across the world."

A statement issued by the sport's commercial rights owner added: "Formula One considers the time spent by teams and drivers on the grid before a race as one of celebration, where guests and various performers can add to the glamour and spectacle of the Grand Prix, enabling promoters and partners to showcase their countries and products."

Back in December Formula One said it would hold a review into whether the sport will use promotional girls for the 2018 season, which begins in Melbourne, Australia, in March.

Ross Brawn, F1 managing director of motorsports, told BBC Radio 5 live: "There's a lot of people who respect the tradition of the grid girls and there's people who feel that it has become a bit dated, so we're addressing that."

Brawn's boss, F1 chief executive officer Chase Carey, added: "What we need to do is get as many points of view as possible and make a decision right for the future of the sport."</s>Formula One says it is ending the practice of using "grid girls" and "podium girls" at its races.

The changes will apply to Formula One's other series that take place during Grands Prix weekends,

Grid girls were used primarily for holding driver name-boards.

“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," said Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1.

The Formula One season will start on March 25 with the 2018 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

"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 norm," Bratches said.

Bratches added that the racing series believes that using grid girls is not "appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world."</s>Walk-on grid girls were axed from Formula One today as the motorsport followed the move within darts to get rid of glamour women.

F1 bosses said they will no longer use grid girls from this current season which starts in Australia in two months' time because it is not in keeping with their 'brand values'.

The move mirrors the Professional Darts Corporation's decision last week to end the long-established practice of women escorting male players to the stage.

And it comes in the wake of the growing row over sexual harassment following accusations levelled at disgraced Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The changes will also apply to other races which take place on grand prix weekends and will come into play from the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 25.

Sean Bratches, F1 managing director of commercial operations, said: '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.

'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.

'We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.'

London-based charity the Women's Sport Trust had previously put pressure on F1 to drop its walk-on girls along with boxing and cycling, after the decision in darts.

It tweeted last week: 'We applaud the Professional Darts Corporation moving with the times and deciding to no longer use walk-on-girls. Motor racing, boxing and cycling... your move.'

The announcement, however, was met with backlash, with fans voicing their dismay on social media.

Many were infuriated by F1's claim that the decision was made due to the 'brand values' and took their frustrations to Twitter.

'The Halo doesn't resonate with the fans values, remove that as well', wrote one user - referring to the safety cockpit device which has become mandatory ahead of the new season.

The sport was also criticised for taking the glamour away, with some claiming grid girls are an important part of a race weekend.

Marco Conradie wrote: 'It's as if F1 is doing everything possible these days to remove the glamour and excitement from the sport.

'And also, shouldn't the grid girls themselves have any say about the matter? Not very empowering stuff, this.'

Model Kelly Brook, 38, who used to work as an F1 flag girl, told ITV's Loose Women: 'It's a well-paid job. It's one of the best jobs I ever had.

'You dress glamorously and obviously it's about being presentable but I never felt I was taken advantage of.'

Jade Slusarczyk, a Sky Sports walk-on girl in the snooker, was accused by a listener of BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show that she needed 'education' to understand why the job is offensive.

But Ms Slusarczyk, from Blackpool, Lancashire, replied: 'I got A's in school and would have become a doctor, but mum was in a car crash so I had to look after her.'

This Morning host Philip Schofield has also defended the women, saying: 'These are intelligent women. Isn't it their right to work in whatever job they choose?'

But Doctor Who actress Ingrid Oliver tweeted: 'First darts girls, now F1 girls.

'Male decision makers from uber-male sports disciplines renouncing objectification of women, whether cynical PR move or no, feels huge.

'I think that unfamiliar sensation I'm currently experiencing is hope and, let me tell you, it feels real weird.'

And the Women's Sport Trust tweeted: 'Thank you, F1 for deciding to stop using grid girls. Another sport making a clear choice about what they want to stand for.'

Darts suffered a similar backlash after the sport announced walk-on girls will no longer be used by the PDC following talks with broadcasters.

Women have accompanied players onto the stage for some years— something that has been regularly criticised — and the PDC decided to act despite many calling for the decision to be reversed.

The move has triggered a petition to reinstate the girls in darts. As of today it had more than 36,000 signatures.

The PDC previously said it made its decision to end the practice of walk-on girls after receiving 'feedback from our host broadcasters' and pressure from fans.

Other sports still employ glamorous women under the guise of entertaining the crowd before and during events.

Boxing and UFC both have 'ring girls', who let the crowd know which round is coming up by holding up numbered cards, generally while wearing revealing outfits.

Cheerleaders are prevalent in American sports, with teams and franchises having their own professional cheerleading squads.

Cycling is another sport which traditionally uses 'podium girls' to pose with race winners and plant a kiss on their cheeks.

However, the Tour Down Under scrapped the use of podium girls last year and the Tour de Yorkshire instead chose to celebrate successful local businesswomen.

Cyclist Peter Sagan caused uproar in 2013 when he was pictured pinching the bottom of a podium girl after a Tour de France stage.

The 2018 F1 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton will begin his bid to become a five-time world champion.

Darts supremo Barry Hearn has hit out at TV bosses after walk-on girls were axed from darts at televised tournaments. It emerged last week that the sport's famous girls will no longer be used by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) following talks with broadcasters. Women have accompanied players onto the stage for some years— something that has been regularly criticised — and the PDC decided to act despite many calling for the decision to be reversed. And Hearn, the PDC's chairman, has claimed the decision was out of his control — while he also insisted he hasn't got a 'problem' with the walk-on girls. Speaking to talkSPORT's Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, Hearn said: 'It's out of my control. 'We're living in changing times — the PC brigade, the liberal brigade are out in strength and it's causing changes in sport everywhere we look and it's probably going to get worse. 'I have no personal problems whatsoever with walk-on girls in darts. None. They've been there from the beginning. 'I think the girls are great, they get paid and it's a job for them. I haven't got a problem. 'But I do have a big problem in the age we live in – I've got the BBC, ITV and Sky, my three UK broadcasters, saying to me this is not part of their editorial policy any longer. They do not want to show the walk-on girls on television. 'If you can tell me what I can do about it, I'll do it!'
The upcoming Formula One season will abandon the practice of using "grid girls", arguing that the practice does not "resonate" with Formula One's values. Four days before, the Professional Darts Corporation abandoned the use of "walk-on girls" to accompany men onto the stage.