Former Formula 1 grid girl Leilani Dowding still believes the models should return to the sport. F1 stopped using grid girls before the 2018 season, saying the role no longer fit its brand values. Dowding, now 46, never agreed with that decision.
She was in Los Angeles when she heard the news, reading about it in the papers. “I thought it was crazy,” she recalled. Dowding said the claims that grid girls were being objectified mostly came from people who had never spoken to them or been involved in the role.
With F1 leaning further into entertainment, Dowding thinks there’s room for grid girls to return. She points to the Las Vegas Grand Prix as the kind of event where they could fit naturally.
She even has someone in mind to help lead the comeback: actress Sydney Sweeney. Dowding said she’d love to see Sweeney on the grid in Las Vegas, adding that she thinks the actress would be a great fit—and that her involvement would likely annoy some critics.
Dowding’s idea goes beyond simply bringing back the old tradition. She’d like F1 to build on its celebrity presence and pre-race entertainment, while stirring up a little debate along the way. Whether Sweeney will ever appear on the grid remains to be seen, but Dowding is clearly ready for the sport to give the idea another look.
