F1 2018 changes: No grid girls, races pushed back by an hour

Liberty Media - the owners of Formula 1, have announced that grid girls will no longer be used for promotional activities from the 2018 seasons. The same policy will be used for GP3 and Formula 2 (formerly known as GP2) that are held alongside Formula 1.

Formula 1 has released a statement saying that grid girls are no longer in tune with the company's vision for the sport. The company states that this practice no longer aligns with the brand values of the sport and mentioned it to be 'at odds with modern day societal norms.' It must be noted that grid girls were present in Formula 1 since the late 80s. The announcement comes after gender equality movements portrayed the motorsport event as a bad example for using glamour girls on the grid. Clair Williams - team principal of Williams has supported this ban. Williams is the only female team boss in the sport.

Formula 1 has also revealed the race start times for the 2018 season. The races will now start after a delay of 10-70 minutes. The authorities claim that this move will enable them to accommodate a wider television audience. All the races will begin 10 minutes past the hour as some of the broadcasters start exactly when the cars are lined up and the viewers miss out on the events just prior to the start. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which is scheduled to be held on April 8, 2018, will start at 6:10 pm (local time) after sunset, while the Brazilian GP has also been pushed back by an hour. The European races (Spanish, Monaco, Austrian, British, German, Hungarian, Belgian and Italian Grand Prix) will all begin at 2:10 pm (UK time). Consequently, the qualifying sessions will also begin an hour later for the aforementioned races.

The Australian Grand Prix, which is the first race of the 2018 season,  is scheduled to be held on March 25 at 4:10 pm (local time) - a delay of 10 minutes. The French Grand Prix, which is returning to the calendar after a gap of 10 years, will start at 3:10 pm (UK time) on June 24 as England's second World Cup game is scheduled to be held on the same day at 1 pm.

The FIA-backed World Endurance Championship stopped using grid girls from 2015 in all races. It is not yet clear if other events such as the Macau Grand Prix and the MotoGP will follow suit.