Chase Carey admits: I like the Grid Girls

Liberty Media boss Chase Carey has been asked to pass comment on the ongoing Grid Girls saga and said that he 'liked' the involvement, but the decision wasn't one just for him, but for everyone involved in Formula One as a whole.

Liberty took the decision to end the Grid Girls' role in F1 from this coming season, instead replacing the with 'Grid Kids', a decision that has been met with some consternation from traditional fans of the sport.

Liberty have come under significant scrutiny and Carey, when speaking to Planet F1, was forced to admit that he was content with the role of the Grid Girl, but that a wider assessment of their suitability was necessary.

He said: “I think the reaction has been what we expected.

"We’ve had some people who have been positive about it and others who were concerned. Unsurprisingly, many long-term fans view it as part of the sport they grew up with and I respect that.

“Actually if you just left it up to me, personally, I like the grid girls. But it’s not a decision for me, it’s a decision for fans.”

Carey also added that it is his, and Liberty's, intention, to retain the glamorous elements of the sport, and that fans can still expect to see 'pretty girls' trackside when the season begins in Australia next month.

He stated: “We’re going to maintain glamour. We’re going to continue to have pretty girls at races. I think it’s a part of life, and it’s a part of what makes our sport special. It is a sport of glamour and of mystique. But I think you have to continue to evolve.

“In today’s world there are obviously different sensitivities to 10-12 years ago. I don’t think you can just be stubborn. There are things that made sense in the past that don’t going forward. When I was at Fox I used to say, ‘I wish the world was frozen with three broadcast networks. It was a much simpler world’.

“But it’s not. You do have to continue to evolve and respect people’s views. If a meaningful number of people don’t agree with something, I think you have to respect that. But we will continue to be a sport with glamour, with excitement – and with pretty girls.”