grand prix grid girls

“Grid girls” were promotional models used on the start grid at many motorsport events, including Grands Prix of old. Formula One scrapped the practice in 2018, replacing it with "grid kids"—junior karting and racing hopefuls who get a big day out and a better story for show-and-tell. The change was pitched as modernising the sport’s image and making the grid less about hosiery and more about horsepower. Other series and events vary: some still use promotional staff in different, less front-and-centre roles, others don’t. So at a Grand Prix today, expect branding, junior drivers and dignitaries—just not the 1990s catalogue lineup.