Wheels and Heels: Formula One Girls

Grid girls traditionally work at world-class racing tournaments. Usually they are in pit lanes, pits and the starting grid before the beginning of the race.

Above: Women sunbathe as Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa drives past during the third practice session at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo on May 25, 2013, ahead of the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix.

Sometimes their work is no piece of cake. On April 12 in Shanghai, Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton (above) opened a bottle of champagne and sprayed the head of a Chinese podium girl with alcohol. The picture of the incident went viral on the Internet. The F-1 world champion faced accusations of sexism and offending the girl.

The first usage of promotional models in motor racing was in the late 1960s in Japan when model Rosa Ogawa was brought to represent the race winners. Before that, women in motor sports were mostly the wives and girlfriends of the drivers and staff.

Above: Girls rehearse for the opening ceremony of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai Circuit 13 October 2005.

Japan is now the only country where being a grid girl is not only a way for a model to begin her career, but also an entire cultural phenomenon.

Above: Grid girls walk during the drivers’ parade at the Istanbul Park race track before Turkey’s Formula One Grand Prix.

The official job of a grid girl is to hold flags, plates with pilots’ numbers and umbrellas over the driver when his car is being worked on.

Above: Girls wave before the driver's parade ahead of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit on March 23, 2008.

In the early 80s, the tradition came to Europe and across the Atlantic. In the United States grid girls are often referred to as "umbrella girls".

Above: A grid girl poses on the circuit ahead of the start of the Formula One Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam on October 16, 2011.

There are strict criteria for those who want to be a grid girl. For the Russian Grand Prix of the 2014 F1 World Championship, only 50 girls out of 150 pretenders were chosen. The girls had to be "model-looking and have the 92-62-92 body shape". They were between the ages of 18 and 25.

Above: Promotional models in the paddock during free practice sessions at the 2014 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix.

In Japan, being a grid girl is an official profession, not only a way for a new model to start her career. It is enlisted in the country’ labor law and called "circuit lady".

Above: Young women and automobile pilot Pavel Kalmanovich in the team Lukoil Racing Team Lada in the combined race in classes "Touring-light, National" during the 7th stage of the Russian series in circuit racing on the Formula-1 track in Sochi.

Above: The grid girls for the Korean Grand Prix walk down the F1 Paddock in Yeongam, South Korea.

On April 3, the world endurance championship (WEC), whose annual highlight is the Le Mans 24 Hours sports car classic, abandoned the tradition in a bit to fight sexism in motor sport. "For me that is the past. The condition of women is a little bit different now," WEC chief executive Gerard Neveu said.

Above: Photographers shoot girls who line up for the drivers parade of the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix at the Hungaroring racetrack near Budapest, Hungary.

The WEC’s decision sparked fierce debates in the world of motor sport. Some praised it as a victory of women’s rights advocates, others were confused.

Above: Malaysian grid girls react as Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany sprays champagne after the awards ceremony for the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is known as an avid supporter of the grid girls’ tradition. In March, he said the F1 Championship will never get rid of grid girls at pit lanes.

Above: Models show new Grid Girl uniform ahead of the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Shanghai, China.