No more grid girls at Formula One? Next they will be enforcing speed limits | Catherine Bennett

04 February 2018 12:02
This was not a good time to upset the driving lobby with talk of restraint and abiding by the rulesFirst they came for the hostesses, and darts fans did not speak out, because they were not members of the Presidents Club. Then they came for the walk-on girls, and the Formula One fans did not speak out, because they find darts a bit on the slow side. Then they came for the grid girls – and Bernie Ecclestone could not stay silent. “I can’t see,” the F1 billionaire said, “how a good-looking girl standing with a driver and a number in front of a Formula One car can be offensive to anybody.”And perhaps there might even be a rethink, now he’s made clear – at least, to anyone unversed in the sport – how critical they were to its operation. “They were necessary really,” Ecclestone said, “because when the team driver wants to get on to the grid, it’s much better and easier for them to know their place where they need to stop.” It’s just a guess, but for some F1 historians, this is presumably a bit of a Rosalind Franklin moment. In fact, it’s hard, as a woman, to know whether to burst with pride over this hitherto unsung contribution or to ask why the grid – whatever that is – should be so excessively small, or hard to spot, that drivers are unable to get on and off it without the orientation offered by young women in tight clothing. Pending a redesign, maybe traditionally dressed lollipop ladies could offer crucial human signage that also resonated with F1’s new brand values? Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian