Grid girls will return to Formula 1 for the first time this season at the Monaco Grand Prix in defiance of a recent decision by the sport's owner Liberty Media to drop the "outdated" tradition.
Liberty replaced 'grid girls' with 'grid kids' in order to modernise itself and whilst the kids will still get their chance ahead of Sunday's race, Monaco organisers insist they will be accompanied by both female and male models under race sponsor TAG Heuer.
The decision has been welcomed by both team bosses and drivers.
"I’m not disappointed to have the grid girls back," commented Sauber team boss Fred Vasseur. "I think that at the end of the day it’s up to the track also to decide if they want to put grid girls on the grid. I think it’s a good move."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added: "I think if you ask five people you will have eight opinions on grid girls. I think it was not discriminatory at all, it was part of the history of Formula 1.
"It has become sponsorship property, thinking about Emirates or Heineken and not to have Hawaiian Tropic girls we remember 30 years ago. So I’m happy to see them back on the grid in Monaco."
Red Bull's Christian Horner agreed: "To be honest with you, I think the girls make a welcome return this weekend. I think that it’s something that should be open to all categories, so some races will choose to have grid kids, others will have mixed grids and I think that so long as it’s done in an appropriate manner, then it’s ultimately down to the promotor."
Current championship leader Lewis Hamilton noted that as long as the girls enjoy doing it and aren't forced to do anything they don't want to do, then he sees no issue with them making a return this weekend.
"I’ve not really ever spoken to women how they feel about the whole situation. So I can’t really comment. I don’t particularly feel any way about it.
"When we pull up to the grid and there’s beautiful women on the grid, that’s the Monaco Grand Prix, that’s a lovely thing – but 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."
Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc also welcomed the decision to have both grid girls and kids as his cousin has been selected to join the drivers on the grid this Sunday.
"I think it was quite positive to have some girls on the grid to be honest – even though I have a girlfriend so I should not say that maybe, I will get in trouble.
"But yeah, it’s also good to have some kids. Monaco is very small, so they took also my little cousin that will be on the grid with me. So that will be nice, and I’ve seen how happy he was to be chosen as one of the kids – and it’s great to see that. And it’s a great idea to have kids on the grid also."
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