Carey: ending grid girls is not a personal decision

Chase Carey, the executive director of F1, returned to the choice to remove the grid girls from the F1 Grands Prix, citing a decision dictated by certain reactions.

Published on 12/02/2018 à 16:46

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Carey: Ending Grid Girls Isn't A Personal Decision

The end of grid girls F1 caused a lot of ink to flow and divided fans of the discipline. Those in favor of removal mainly put forward the image of women reduced to motorsport while opponents question the usefulness of the measure.

To explain this choice, F1 executive director Chase Carey spoke again, citing a decision dictated by the evolution of corporate thinking.

“The reaction was as expected, recognized the president of Formula One Group. We had positive reactions and people who were concerned. Unsurprisingly, this involved longtime fans who grew up with the sport and I respect that. »

“If someone asked me what I think about it, I would say that I like the presence of grid girls. But this decision was not made for me but for the public, added Chase Carey. We saw several people raise the issue anecdotally, but I later realized that this idea was shared. We then felt that their presence was no longer appropriate in today's world. »

If the grid girls will be replaced by “Grid Kids”, Chase Carey does not want the paddocks to lose any attraction for the fairer sex.

“We will maintain the glamor in F1 by continuing to have pretty girls coming to the races. It's part of life and it's what makes our discipline special. It's a sport full of glamor and mystique, but you have to continue to evolve.", said the American.

The replacement of grid girls by “Grid Kids” was applauded by several event organizers including Jorn Teske, the marketing director of the Hockenheim circuit which will host the German GP on July 22.

“We were informed in advance, he admitted in Bild. Even though we will continue to welcome grid girls to our events, the idea of grid kids is also a good one. F1 needs a new, younger audience and it's an ingenious idea if the presence of young people on the grids can help with that. »

Other participants, however, expressed their dissatisfaction. Nico Hulkenberg, holder at Renault Sport F1 Team, notably mentioned " A step back " when referring to the show.