Formula One Replaces Grid Girls with Grid Kids Program for 2018 Season

[MatskiMonk]

So if I take photo's of grid kids, do people assume I'm only doing it because I see kids as something that should be objectified? Or worse, do they think I'm only doing it because of some kind of sexual kick? Because that's what seems to happen if you take a photo of a grid girl.

 

[Roo]

So now they are going to use children which they don't have to pay nothing.
They had to pay the grid girls.
Last time I checked most of the girls doing these sort of events were UNI students trying to make some money on the side. At least that's how it is in Australia. So now we have reduced the employment pool that specifically employed women. Brilliant idea, not.
I don't see why they cannot have both.
Sorry, you can call me what you will but that sounds like a cost cutting exercise to me. Nothing about women's rights or "modern day social norms" as they called it.

I don't know how much a woman was paid for a GP weekend (@F1GTR, as you have an insight into the modelling world, would you be able to provide a rough estimate?), but I'm willing to bet it wasn't much in F1 terms. In a sport that turns over hundreds of millions, a few hundred thousand here or there wouldn't be driving the decision to no longer employ models.

Also coming from an Australian viewpoint F1 is dyeing in my eyes.
They have screwed over the most important aspect you need to promote F1 or any sport. Free or reasonably priced live TV viewing.
It used to be free not so long ago on Channel 10.
It then reduced to only 1 in 3 races live and the other 2 delayed by a day and chopped down to 1 hour including ads.
As Channel 10 went bankrupt towards the end of last year, its now gone.
If you want to see it all live here you now get ripped. You need to have Foxtel. So a cable pack is $65 a month or a live streaming one is $39 a month. Why so much, well you get a whole heap of other channels which I don't want. If Foxtel had some brains they would let you just pay to watch the programs you wanted on their online platform. But nope, not happening, you need the whole damn package.
I've watched most F1 races since 1997. Now, no thanks. Its becoming cost prohibitive here.
Supposedly with Channel 10 being resurrected they will be getting the 1 in 3 lives race deals again for this year. But I'm not holding my breath.

You can thank Bernie and CVC for that. There's nothing Liberty Media can do until the Australian TV contract ends, although if the US coverage is anything to go by the future isn't much brighter...

There is a time and a place for children F1 racing isn't it because they can't afford the tickets and they can't drive it's nothing more than wishful thinking its participation by proxy and its a joke because generally most people can't afford the price of admission to these elitist disciplines kids aren't going to be able to do it in the future so don't get their hopes up. Drive the sport through academies and real world driving experience not PR ...makes me sick!

Kids can't afford tickets to Legoland either. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be there.

A child can start competition karting from the age of 8. Most F1 drivers do, and some start driving even earlier; Michael Schumacher started driving a homemade kart at the age of 4. Kids can drive.

It was argued in the thread about no longer using grid girls that those women no longer have the opportunity to make contacts within F1; now, young karters will have that chance. Lewis Hamilton's association with McLaren started when he was 10 when he approached Ron Dennis at an awards ceremony. I'd suggest youngsters now have a better chance of making it to F1 than they did before.

So if I take photo's of grid kids, do people assume I'm only doing it because I see kids as something that should be objectified? Or worse, do they think I'm only doing it because of some kind of sexual kick?

Amongst those who would take photos of women for those reasons, I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't a commonly held view.

 

[WyldAnimal]

F1 is a Male Dominated Sport. Both Participation wise, and Viewer Wise.

Why do I get the Impression that F1 is trying to send a Message.
All of us Men, should stop finding Women Attractive,
nope, Women should not be seen for their Beauty. That is objectifying them..
and Instead we Men should be looking at young children instead.

F1 took away the women, and replaced them with Children.. Sounds like a bit of a push towards pedophilia to me.

Bring back the Grid Girls !
#BringBackTheGridGirls

 

[Dotini]

F1 is a Male Dominated Sport. Both Participation wise, and Viewer Wise.

Why do I get the Impression that F1 is trying to send a Message.
All of us Men, should stop finding Women Attractive,
nope, Women should not be seen for their Beauty. That is objectifying them..
and Instead we Men should be looking at young children instead.

F1 took away the women, and replaced them with Children.. Sounds like a bit of a push towards pedophilia to me.

Bring back the Grid Girls !
#BringBackTheGridGirls

Alas, plastics and chemicals in our environment are making males into sterile eunuchs, and there are now over 100 different genders. So the Wise Masters of F1 are merely preparing for the Brave New World.

 

[LennyB]

Alas, plastics and chemicals in our environment are making males into sterile eunuchs, and there are now over 100 different genders. So the Wise Masters of F1 are merely preparing for the Brave New World.

👍

 

[flamingchariot]

Carters ....missing point I made about elitism all very well if you have family/friends who are prepared to go that extra mile to get you there in the first place truth is most people just don't have access to racing as a whole. It's become a big money game thanks to morons like Bernie Ecclescakes. In the 'bad old' days there were privateer teams now its all manufacturers and car makers...bit boring. Oh and yes about doing people out of jobs...welcome to the modern world ...PR says its about racing I say it's exploitation. Kids have no place at F! its an adult arena - like having kids at a boxing match ...wrong on so many levels if you can't see the similarity what's the point?

 

[Smokey Nismo]

Inb4 the FIA and FOM are caught running a pedo ring.

Good lord, this politically correct agenda is gonna kill me, as is this sport. I can feel it in the air too.

 

[TheCracker]

Carters ....missing point I made about elitism all very well if you have family/friends who are prepared to go that extra mile to get you there in the first place truth is most people just don't have access to racing as a whole. It's become a big money game thanks to morons like Bernie Ecclescakes. In the 'bad old' days there were privateer teams now its all manufacturers and car makers...bit boring.

Out of the 10 teams currently in F1, only 4 of those are manufacturers and the rest are privateers (i guess you are referring to road car manufacturers?) And one of those manufacturers, Mclaren, was a privateer racing team long before it became a producer of road cars.

 

[flamingchariot]

I don't watch it anymore because it's boring ...bernie ecclescakes/FIA etc not saying there aren't some damn good drivers but hey. It just isn't interesting to watch. Touring cars on the other hand was ( DTM British touring cars etc) Plus you can't afford tickets to go see it need I go on ... When Lotus, Brabham, Renault/Williams and countless other small manufacturers and race specialists were on the grid it was more of a sport. It's a lot safer now yes. But its also tame and tired...can't reinvent the wheel. McClaren is not a manufacturer of road cars they have always been a race car builder...know your onions sir

 

[Touring Mars]

know your onions sir

This coming from someone who can't spell McLaren properly... 💡

 

[MatskiMonk]

This coming from someone who can't spell McLaren properly... 💡

He got his C's in a pickle, I bet his face is red.

 

[TheElbows]

Feminism , killing jobs for grid girls ~Fem empowerment !
Meanwhile all these females have to apply at Mc Donalds !

"McDonalds Revenue up 232% Year-on-Year in wake of recent hiring push."
International Business Review
April 08, 2018

 

[flamingchariot]

↑
This coming from someone who can't spell McLaren properly... 💡
He got his C's in a pickle, I bet his face is red.

Yeah I cut my offending typing hand off I'm so ashamed...not

 

[F1GTR]

I don't know how much a woman was paid for a GP weekend (@F1GTR, as you have an insight into the modelling world, would you be able to provide a rough estimate?)

You're looking at around 2K per day since most agencies will charge double time on weekends. The agency will typically take around 20-30% of that fee, plus take out any money owed to them.

 

[Roo]

Carters ....missing point I made about elitism all very well if you have family/friends who are prepared to go that extra mile to get you there in the first place truth is most people just don't have access to racing as a whole.

Of course not. Motor racing is inherently an expensive sport; the only other sport I can think of that matches motor racing for expense is horse racing. But that doesn't mean kids shouldn't try. Besides, noone gets to the top of any sport if they and their family aren't prepared to go the extra mile.

It's become a big money game thanks to morons like Bernie Ecclescakes. In the 'bad old' days there were privateer teams now its all manufacturers and car makers...bit boring.

You talk of "knowing your onions", yet don't know the history of the sport? Those privateer teams are the ones who put Bernie in charge of the commercial rights in the first place, to earn them all more money whilst they could concentrate on racing - something at which he was massively successful.

@TheCracker has already covered the point on teams.

Kids have no place at F! its an adult arena - like having kids at a boxing match ...wrong on so many levels if you can't see the similarity what's the point?

I'd best tell my 8 year old nephew to stop watching F1 then, if it's adults only.

As I said, competition karting starts at age 8. Far fewer children are going to want to get involved in motorsport if the highest they can aspire to is club-level karting. F1 is, for better or worse, the pinicle of motorsport, and if children don't have that big dream to aim for they're not going to start in the first place. Getting them involved early will benefit F1 in the long run as it gives a chance for those karters to make contact with the F1 teams.

There is no similarity between F1 and boxing besides the drive to be the best at your chosen sport. I certainly wouldn't encourage a child into boxing; whilst you might get injured motor racing, at least that isn't the actual aim.

You're looking at around 2K per day since most agencies will charge double time on weekends. The agency will typically take around 20-30% of that fee, plus take out any money owed to them.

Wow! OK, that's much more than I thought. So rough back-of-an-envelope maths suggests 20 women for 2 days at 20 events at £2,000 a day = £1.6 million a year. Thank you 👍

 

[Northstar]

There is a time and a place for children F1 racing isn't it

I wouldn't go that far. Kids are fine attending as spectators in grandstands and other designated viewing areas. The paddock and grid on the other hand should be off limits to anyone not old enough to look after themselves if their parents aren't in sight. They're both crowded areas with lots of stuff that's either really expensive, really dangerous or both.

 

[Roo]

They're both crowded areas with lots of stuff that's either really expensive, really dangerous or both.

I'd suggest that if they're karters, they're well used to expensive, dangerous machinery in crowded areas!

 

[Northstar]

I'd suggest that if they're karters, they're well used to expensive, dangerous machinery in crowded areas!

Where does it say they will all be kart racers (it mentions they will be involved in motorsports, but that's insanely vague)?

 

[Roo]

Where does it say they will all be kart racers (it mentions they will be involved in motorsports, but that's insanely vague)?

I'm basing that on a quote attributed to Jean Todt in an Autosport article (bold part my emphisis):

FIA president Jean Todt added: "Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor sport and the dream of every young racer competing the junior series that make up the FIA's single-seater pyramid, from karting all the way to F1.

"We are therefore delighted to bring that dream a little closer by giving the future champions of our sport the opportunity to stand alongside their heroes on the grid in the build-up to the race start.

"For the wider FIA, this is an excellent initiative that provides additional support to our member ASNs [national sporting authorities] in their efforts to grow motorsport worldwide through a unique reward they can make available to youngsters participating in their national series."

 

[Northstar]

I didn't see that part. It makes it a tad better since I'm guessing by the time they get to the national level they are older (I have no clue how karting is set up).

 

[Mires]

Lauda calls for F1 to reverse grid girl decision! - according to Eurosport news...

https://www.eurosport.com/formula-1...rse-grid-girl-decision_sto6509217/story.shtml

 

[mef]

F1 was already on the way to die before the new management took charge. But the grid girls decision just shows how corprate and anti motorsports the fools in F1 management are. Lauda on the other hand is old school, he undertands racing, he undertstands men, and he understands you can look at a grid girl and still appreciate woman for other things than their look. F1 management clearly cannot.

Anyhow, some Lauda quotes here

"But one does not exclude the other. I don't want to hold back women, I want to encourage them."

"If you continue on this path, there will be no cheerleaders left in America."

If you like the non BS approach Lauda has check the story of Lauda Air and the air plane crash that happened as result of a defective engine on the plane. The air plane maker (cant remember if Boeing or Airbus) did not want to issue a statement to take responsibility which made it look like Lauda Air was stuck with responsibility for 200+ deaths in the plane crash. Lauda then stated he would personally fly the same plane and recreated the conditions of the accident to see if the engine will fail again, because simulators have consistently showed the engine to fail, yet the manufacturer wants to 'check with lawyers' before issueing a statement. You get the idea.

I'm sure Lauda is no saint, who is? But at least he's not a coward and has some principles he speaks for. F1 management has absolutely nothing.

Edit: Lauda air crash interview


Sorry for derailing the threads slightly, but I thought some of you might appreciate learning more about this man. He's from a different era, Ecclestone's era, and maybe the sport we all used to love with die with them eventually. I don't mean to be overly dramatic but it sure feels that way.

Edit 2: There is evidence that suggests Lauda's motives weren't as noble as he suggests in the above interview, see this article by an Austrian aviation magazine. No more heroes left huh.

https://www.austrianwings.info/2015/01/lauda-air-crash-1991-still-too-many-open-questions/

 

[flamingchariot]

F1 was already on the way to die before the new management took charge. But the grid girls decision just shows how corprate and anti motorsports the fools in F1 management are. Lauda on the other hand is old school, he undertands racing, he undertstands men, and he understands you can look at a grid girl and still appreciate woman for other things than their look. F1 management clearly cannot.

Anyhow, some Lauda quotes here

"But one does not exclude the other. I don't want to hold back women, I want to encourage them."

"If you continue on this path, there will be no cheerleaders left in America."

If you like the non BS approach Lauda has check the story of Lauda Air and the air plane crash that happened as result of a defective engine on the plane. The air plane maker (cant remember if Boeing or Airbus) did not want to issue a statement to take responsibility which made it look like Lauda Air was stuck with responsibility for 200+ deaths in the plane crash. Lauda then stated he would personally fly the same plane and recreated the conditions of the accident to see if the engine will fail again, because simulators have consistently showed the engine to fail, yet the manufacturer wants to 'check with lawyers' before issueing a statement. You get the idea.

I'm sure Lauda is no saint, who is? But at least he's not a coward and has some principles he speaks for. F1 management has absolutely nothing.

Edit: Lauda air crash interview


Sorry for derailing the threads slightly, but I thought some of you might appreciate learning more about this man. He's from a different era, Ecclestone's era, and maybe the sport we all used to love with die with them eventually. I don't mean to be overly dramatic but it sure feels that way.

Edit 2: There is evidence that suggests Lauda's motives weren't as noble as he suggests in the above interview, see this article by an Austrian aviation magazine. No more heroes left huh.

https://www.austrianwings.info/2015/01/lauda-air-crash-1991-still-too-many-open-questions/

Lauda the man the myth the legend ...he says what others will not an absolute geezer through and through

That's the problem no boundaries when it comes to children etc.... it's all fine until there is a horrific accident/fire in the spectator area - lack of forward thinking. Take what happened at Le Mans (in the past) for example and what almost used to happen in the Group B Rallies with spectators. It's a crowded area noisy etc. Adults predominantlty.... (flogging a dead horse trying to make a point that its anything else) its all about money plain and simple...

 

[TheCracker]

I'm struggling to comprehend how much this non-story is riling people. Not just here but elsewhere, social media etc.

Little kids have as much place on the pre-race grid as scantily clad, high heel wearing women. Ie, none really. Same can be said for anthem singers, marching bands, celebs, v.i.p's and local dignitaries. They all just get in the way of drivers and teams trying to prepare themselves for he race ahead. I'm sure they all could do without the unwelcome distraction.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I'm struggling to comprehend how much this non-story is riling people. Not just here but elsewhere, social media etc.

Little kids have as much place on the pre-race grid as scantily clad, high heel wearing women. Ie, none really. Same can be said for anthem singers, marching bands, celebs, v.i.p's and local dignitaries. They all just get in the way of drivers and teams trying to prepare themselves for he race ahead. I'm sure they all could do without the unwelcome distraction.

One person's unwelcome distraction is another person's atmosphere.

 

[05XR8]

I'm struggling to comprehend how much this non-story is riling people. Not just here but elsewhere, social media etc.

Little kids have as much place on the pre-race grid as scantily clad, high heel wearing women. Ie, none really. Same can be said for anthem singers, marching bands, celebs, v.i.p's and local dignitaries. They all just get in the way of drivers and teams trying to prepare themselves for he race ahead. I'm sure they all could do without the unwelcome distraction.

I've not walked around on the grid before the warm up lap. I would gather that those people that can, help spread the experience by word of mouth. I can only remember Casey Stoner's wife as his personal "umbrella holder". So, I don't think she was too much a distraction for him. I wonder how many F1 drivers have family around them on the grid, before a start.

 

[Touring Mars]

One person's unwelcome distraction is another person's atmosphere.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Still better sound than than modern F1 engines.

 

[baldgye]

Idk I think it’s awesome they are getting kids involved with F1.

Pushing the future of single seater motorsports is far more important to me, as a fan, than helping the career of a model.


Hell, imagine as a young Karting kid getting to meet Vettel or Hamilton

 

[MatskiMonk]

Idk I think it’s awesome they are getting kids involved with F1.

Pushing the future of single seater motorsports is far more important to me, as a fan, than helping the career of a model.

Hell, imagine as a young Karting kid getting to meet Vettel or Hamilton

Imagine having parents that can fund a young karting career!!! M O N E Y is V A S T L Y more significant than exposure!