Grid Girl ban is 'discrimination against women'

Former McLaren team coordinator Jo Ramirez has insisted that the newly-introduced ban on the use of grid girls in Formula One races is 'discrimination against women' and thinks that the women who previously accompanied drivers out on to the paddock 'offended no one'.

Last week, Liberty Media and the FIA announced that the tradition of grid girls would be scrapped, with 'grid kids' set to be used instead. Liberty's managing director of commercial operations, Sean Bratches, provided reasoning for the decision at the time.

"While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world," Bratches in a statement released by Liberty.

The decision has polarised opinion among figures in the sport and fans alike, with some supporting it as a step forward, and others lamenting the scrapping of a tradition which has become synonymous with F1.

Ramirez is certainly among the group who does not support the decision, saying it discriminates against women.

"F1 is losing its way. They try to change something for the sake of changing," he told Spanish radio Cadena Cope.

"It would have been enough to dress them a little more modestly but in many countries they were wearing the national costume," he added.

"This (ban) is a discrimination against women -- tomorrow they will be prohibited from coming into the circuit altogether. In my opinion, the grid girls offended no one."