The new great grid girl debate

[midgetman]

Spot on Peter. This really is a lot of froth about nothing. It's not the thin end of the wedge for motor sport.

If you want a thin end, look no further than complex aerodynamics that mean it's no longer motor *racing*. That's far more likely to turn people off than who or what is holding a board.

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[RWill2073]

I'm curious, why is making marginal improvements to the overall enterprise, in a way that better aligns with the values you may want to represent, such a negative?

Put another way: should McLaren have ignored improving the aerodynamics of the front wing of their car because they had a honda engine and it didn't make a noticeable difference anyway? Or should they still look for marginal improvements where they can be found while still searching for the amswers to ths bigger issues?

I posted my thoughts on the topic previously, and don't even want to touch it now with the distastefulness of some posts in the second half of this thread.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

I'm curious, why is making marginal improvements to the overall enterprise, in a way that better aligns with the values you may want to represent, such a negative?

Put another way: should McLaren have ignored improving the aerodynamics of the front wing of their car because they had a honda engine and it didn't make a noticeable difference anyway? Or should they still look for marginal improvements where they can be found while still searching for the amswers to ths bigger issues?

I posted my thoughts on the topic previously, and don't even want to touch it now with the distastefulness of some posts in the second half of this thread.

I was trying to think of a way to word it, but you've done it better than I have.

We have 10 problems. Problem 1 is the biggest, problem 10 is the smallest. If we have the capacity to deal with all 10, then we deal with all 10. If problem 7 is a very simple easy fix, then do it quickly and get it out of the way.

You can't just work on one problem at once. That's silly.

[Mekola]

As expected, Maria Laura Curzi is firmly against grid girls.

[littleman]

What about an electrician or decorator, can I ban them?

[Akrapovic]

You could. Or you could just not hire them. That'd make it much easier. Save some money too.

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by littleman

What about an electrician or decorator, can I ban them?

I dunno. But plumbers can be banned. Wait. That isn't an equivalent. Let's ban plumbers butt. My house is no place for a fat man's asscrack to be showing. Just like a racing grid is no place for a half naked, objectified woman.

[keithcollantine]

So Monaco now says it will have grid girls and Russia wants to have them as well.

[F1Guy]

Grid girls could make an appearance at this weekends race day too.


80+% of the public voted for grid girls to be bought back to F1 at the Australian GP. I seem to remember about the same percentage in favour of grid girls in some surveys earlier this year as well. So the majority are ignored and the minority are listened to. Well done FOM. Well done.

[Peter Mallett]

Cue gnashing of teeth and beating of bre..... er let's not go there.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by F1Guy

80+% of the public voted for grid girls to be bought back to F1 at the Australian GP. I seem to remember about the same percentage in favour of grid girls in some surveys earlier this year as well.

Interested to see where the figure of 80% comes from?

Some polls do give a slight majority - the BBC poll in December was 60% in favour of Grid Girls - but it is hard to describe it as a conclusive majority.

Have any polls produced results that would stand up to statistical rigour?

[Akrapovic]

Everyone knows internet polls are super reliable. That's why we elect people based on Twitter hashtags.

Business decisions aren't made off the back of some poorly conducted internet polls.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Interested to see where the figure of 80% comes from?

Some polls do give a slight majority - the BBC poll in December was 60% in favour of Grid Girls - but it is hard to describe it as a conclusive majority.

Have any polls produced results that would stand up to statistical rigour?

The majority of those polled, whether it be 1% or 20% are the majority and if we are to continue as a democratic society whilst we can question the stats; to suggest it isn't the correct result, because it's not one's preferred result; is just plain delusional.

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Everyone knows internet polls are super reliable. That's why we elect people based on Twitter hashtags.

Business decisions aren't made off the back of some poorly conducted internet polls.

Well I concur it's not ideal but wasn't the original decision supposedly the result of some kind of poll?

I don't really care whether there are grid girls or not although from the perspective of the overall show I believe they form part of it. As ASCII said above the whole thing is due to the current political maneuverings of a few. It is not based on anything but the politics of envy. We see enough of that in the UK currently.

So, if the GGs are back, then I would really like to know where Liberty stand on the matter. Will they cancel the Monaco GP on the basis that it would bring the sport into disripute?

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

The majority of those polled, whether it be 1% or 20% are the majority and if we are to continue as a democratic society whilst we can question the stats; to suggest it isn't the correct result, because it's not one's preferred result; is just plain delusional.

Downright Brexitish......!!!

[Peter Mallett]

Actually I wasn't thinking of that specifically. But yes it's a good point.

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by F1Guy

Grid girls could make an appearance at this weekends race day too.


80+% of the public voted for grid girls to be bought back to F1 at the Australian GP. I seem to remember about the same percentage in favour of grid girls in some surveys earlier this year as well. So the majority are ignored and the minority are listened to. Well done FOM. Well done.

Well, if we've learned one thing from history, it's that the majority is always right and the minority should just shut up and take it!

Err.... Seems like just a couple days ago was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of someone who may have disagreed with that though....

[Peter Mallett]

Hmm. But surely that's a good example? The injustice was finally voted out by a majority.

[S griffin]

Maybe it should be up to circuits if they want to do it

[E.B]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Maybe it should be up to circuits if they want to do it

That would end up as a complete embarrassment to Liberty as I believe, morally rightly or wrongly most circuits would bow to public response and have G.G.'s. It would show Liberty's first major F1 change (other than a plagiarised new logo which was hardly well received by the world at large) to have been political pandering and not what the fans or even promoters were wanting.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by E.B

That would end up as a complete embarrassment to Liberty as I believe, morally rightly or wrongly most circuits would bow to public response and have G.G.'s. It would show Liberty's first major F1 change (other than a plagiarised new logo which was hardly well received by the world at large) to have been political pandering and not what the fans or even promoters were wanting.

But that is what it was.

[Akrapovic]

Was it? Why is it not possible for Liberty to have said "We don't want them because it isn't our thing?"

Not every decision that happens to align with a political movement is done in reaction to it. It's not a coincidence that it happened as soon as Liberty took over.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Was it? Why is it not possible for Liberty to have said "We don't want them because it isn't our thing?"

Not every decision that happens to align with a political movement is done in reaction to it. It's not a coincidence that it happened as soon as Liberty took over.

Really? As soon as...?
It took them 12 months to mention that they were even thinking about it - coincidentally right on the back of the #metoo thing. No, it was short-term reactive stuff jumping on a bandwagon IMO.

[Peter Mallett]

Well ask yourself this. Why do that instead of imposing new rules? Because it was low hanging fruit and it jives with the #metoo thing. I think it's naive to see it in any other light. If you really want to stamp authority you say to hell with the previous agreements, I'm in charge now.

Instead we've had daft changes to the weekend running, this issue, a supposed mascot etc. All remind me of the Hitchiker's Guide where a bunch of marketing folks have no clue how to run the planet they've been banished to. Next we'll be forced to run a nice warm bath!

Edit: MGD beat me to it.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

Really? As soon as...?
It took them 12 months to mention that they were even thinking about it - coincidentally right on the back of the #metoo thing. No, it was short-term reactive stuff jumping on a bandwagon IMO.

You say 12 months as if that's a long time for a massive company that's just taken control of one of the biggest sports in the world. 12 months is absolutely no time at all. I imagine it also wasn't absolutely top of the list of things to deal with upon the entering the office on the first Monday morning. In a sport that's approaching its 70th birthday, 12 months is "as soon as", yes.

I think it's a bit poor to label #metoo as a bandwagon given the amount of illegal abuse that's gone on. But hey-ho, each to their own. That may go some way of explaining the different opinions on whether we should have grid girls or not.

If you really want to stamp authority you say to hell with the previous agreements, I'm in charge now.

I don't understand this comment. They've made a change, to hell with previous agreements. So...they're in charge now? Isn't that what they've just done? I don't understand what you mean.

There's a weird thing going on where Bernie basically sold the sport down the drain to the point where most of us struggle to get decently priced coverage of it now. The FIA has not been on top of the technical regulations, resulting in some pretty poor racing nowadays. And yet the thing people are most up in arms about appears to be the decision to not hire women to hold some unrequired equipment anymore. From an outside perspective, F1 fans aren't coming off particularly well at the moment.

Edit: Here's the gist of it - Liberty decided that having women as props to hold signs did not fit with their brand image. As a result, they chose not to hire external contractors to fill the now-redundant role. Apparently, this is outrageous!

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I don't understand this comment. They've made a change, to hell with previous agreements. So...they're in charge now? Isn't that what they've just done? I don't understand what you mean.

And Monaco have turned round and said stuff you Liberty we are having grid girls at the Monaco GP, like it or not. We just wont make them hold the driver name placards, so they will have no function other than decorative glamour.

Liberty are allegedly ok with it, and now Russia wants GG's too.