Sebastian Vettel disagrees with phasing out of ‘grid girls’ in Monaco

Formula One Management insists there will no ‘grid girls’ at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, despite reports they were to make a return at the behest of the race organisers, Automobile Club de Monaco.

F1 denies there was any conflict with Monaco and says that, while women will be seen on the grid, they are part of a promotional arrangement that had been discussed over time and agreed upon amicably. FOM said they could not be construed as ‘grid girls’ and that they would not be holding board numbers nor standing in front of cars. The issue remains divisive among drivers, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel saying he believed dispensing with ‘grid girls’ had been unnecessary.

F1 decided to cease the practice this season, replacing them with ‘grid kids’– young karters selected by each race’s host nation. The commercial director, Sean Bratches, was unequivocal about the decision at the time, saying ‘grid girls’ were “at odds with modern-day societal norms. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One.”

Monaco has been seen as a direct challenge to the change in policy. However, a senior source at F1 management told the Guardian: “What is going to happen here is nothing new.” The women would be present as part of a long-standing commercial relationship between the race and watch manufacturer Tag Heuer and would only be taking pictures and showing messages from social media.

The ‘grid kids’ will still be present and FOM insisted there had been no change in policy. Of the five races held this season four have had a promotional presence on the grid. In Melbourne it was children selected by the organisers to promote Australia; in Bahrain, Gulf Air hostesses and stewards; in China, men and women representing Heineken; and in Spain, air hostesses from Emirates Airlines.

FOM said it has been in discussions with promoters on the decision and with Monaco for at least eight weeks in what was described as a collaborative process. It was suggested similar promotional activity might occur at other meetings this season but F1 had no intention of returning to using ‘grid girls’.

Vettel, who trails Lewis Hamilton by 17 points in the world championship, said he believed the original decision had been an overreaction. “I think all the women that took part as a grid girl in the past did it because they want to,” he said. “I’m sure if you ask any grid girl on Sunday if they’re happy to stand there, their answer would be: ‘yes’. I don’t think there’s anybody that forces them to do it. It speaks a little bit of our times that sometimes there’s a lot of noise for nothing.”

Hamilton was non-committal. “I definitely don’t think that we should ever be supporting or pushing these women in general to feel uncomfortable and, if they are, then we shouldn’t do it. If they’re comfortable doing it, I don’t really know,” he said.

Haas’s Romain Grosjean disagreed with Vettel and thought F1 was right to dispense with what is seen by many as an archaic tradition. “When it was removed I thought it was a good thing for women in the 21st century because they were not used as just a board holder,” he said.