Singapore to Flout F1 Grid Girl Ban for GP

The organisers of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix have confirmed that grid girls will be used at the race next Sunday, despite Liberty Media’s decision to discontinue the tradition at the beginning of the season, a move which was met with some opposition.

Singapore Airlines have always traditionally used their cabin crew as grid girls at the race, and in a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore stated that they will be in place as normal this race weekend.

The statement said: “Our cabin crew are brand ambassadors for Singapore Airlines and will continue to play an integral role in the upcoming Formula 1 2018 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.”

Liberty Media’s rank and file review of the sport upon acquiring the brand in 2017 came to the conclusion that grid girls were an outdated exercise and looked to remove them from the pre-amble of every race.

In Singapore, however, the idea of a ‘Singapore Girl’ is a brand of its own, and this cultural difference has meant they will not concur with Liberty’s decision.

Public relations expert, Dean Shams, said of the decision: ““Liberty Media sees the grid girl as a form of sexism since they typically exude a sexual persona with their scantily clad outfits.

“Rightfully, they want to be seen as a progressive brand. SIA, and Singapore, on the other hand, see Singapore Girls as a local icon. In that respect, they seem like a good fit to represent Singapore’s brand of uniqueness and hospitality.”

Although Grid Girls were banned from F1, venues like Monaco employed the practice. Even the Russian GP organisers were said to be in talks to employ the practice of using grid girls for the race. The F1 paddock will visit Russian shores on 30th September for this year’s Grand Prix.