If you decide to tune into the 2018 FIM Formula One World Championship opener on March 25, you may notice something a little different. Formula One announced today it will end the long-standing practice of using “walk-on grid girls” and "podium girls" beginning at the season opener in Melbourne, Australia. In a statement, F1 said gird girls will no longer be used in other motorsports series that take place during the Grands Prix weekends.

“Over the last year, we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations at Formula One, said.

"While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula One Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

Formula One follows in the footsteps of the Australian V8 Supercars series, which stopped using grid girls in 2016.