Perhaps, from the outside, one might say that grid girls are all beautiful, all glamorous and that their clothes are all elegant and refined. And this is partly true, because they were part of such a unique world that they were absorbed by it and imbued with an almost magnetic attraction.
Marlboro sponsorship girls in the paddock of the Italian Grand Prix on 09 September 1973. Photo by Ercole Colombo.
For years, they provided the beautiful backdrop to the races, until racing was the preserve of enthusiasts only. However, when Formula 1 became the mass phenomenon it is today, they too lost the aura of class that had distinguished them.
Grid girls 1970's style.
They were a natural part of the races, ennobling them with their beauty and the style of their clothes, never too bold or provocative. Because those women possessed, beyond beauty and elegance, a personality that made them unique. Just like Formula 1.
A girl on the grid at the Argentine Grand Prix in Buenos Aires on 28 January 1973. Photo by David Phipps.
For some time, this had no longer been the case and the grid girls appeared as a foreign body, increasingly descending into vulgarity. Better, then, to disappear and leave behind the beautiful memory of what they were.
Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren M23 Ford, keeps cool in the cockpit while filmed as two Marlboro girls look on at the 1974 Spanish GP in Jarama, Spain. Photo by Lat Images.
Those women of the heroic years of Formula 1 were protagonists and witnesses of an era in which death lurked around every bend, decreeing which would be the last. A circus in which everything happened quickly, yet left indelible traces. Some of the uniforms worn by the grid girls of those years were truly beautiful in their simplicity and perfectly matched the elegance of the women who wore them.
JPS girls at the British Grand Prix in Brands Hatch on 15 July 1972.
How could we forget the beautiful JPS girls?
One of the JPS girls at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone on July 14, 1973. Motorsport Images.
The stunning hairstyles of girls from the 60s and 70s...
The JPS girls walk along the grid before the start of the race. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, 14 July 1973.
It certainly depends on personal taste, but these early '70s girls dressed in those gorgeous JPS uniforms remain the best, the most fascinating. An inimitable cocktail.
Jacky Ickx with JPS girls on the grid at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1974. Photo by Period Photograph.
Which matched the elegance of the Lotus cars of that era beautifully.
The JPS girls try their hands at selling merchandise from the official Lotus stand. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England, 14 July 1973. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
Silverstone and Brands Hatch were the hallowed grounds of motorsport in that magical era and the JPS girls were the icing on the cake.
The Marlboro girls at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos, São Paulo, on 27 January 1974. Photo by Formula 1 Photography.
And the famous Marlboro girls, who were the pinnacle of this phenomenon?
Marlboro’s grid girls were iconic in Formula One from the 1970s to early 2000s, when tobacco sponsorship was prevalent. Clad in red and white, they linked Marlboro to F1, enhancing its bold marketing. Their presence helped make the Marlboro chevron and liveries of teams like Ferrari and McLaren global symbols.
A Marlboro girl at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos, São Paulo, on 27 January 1974. Photo by David Phipps.
Their style shifted with the times, but the mission stayed the same, bold, eye-catching branding, until tobacco ad bans ended the practice in the 2000s.
Marlboro BRM female supporters at Jarama, Spain, on Sunday 28 April 1974.
The girls’ roles evolved with fashion and team alliances but always echoed Marlboro’s branding. Their work was part of a major push, alongside sponsorship of champion teams. The Marlboro grid girls symbolize a blend of showmanship and commercial power at the peak of tobacco’s influence in racing.
Three Marlboro grid girls and a Ferrari in action.
They became an unforgettable part of Formula 1 history and remain a striking symbol of Formula 1’s golden age.
Four Marlboro grid girls.
They were more than just brand ambassadors, they represented an era when glamour and sponsorship were tightly woven into motorsport.
We'll leave you to judge our photo gallery of the grid girl uniforms we liked best and which will remain a fond memory for us.
Photo gallery
Jackie Stewart and Marlboro girls at Járama, Spain, on 01 May 1972.
Marlboro girls in the pits at Monaco in 1973. Photo by David Phipps.
The JPS girls walk along the grid before the start of the race. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England, 14 July 1973. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
JPS girls at Silverstone in 1973.
Legs and boots of JPS Lotus promotional girls during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 14 July 1973. Photo by LAT Images.
The JPS girls focus their attention on Alan Jones, who was competing in the supporting F3 race. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England, 14 July 1973. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
The JPS girls focus their attention on Alan Jones, who was competing in the supporting F3 race. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England, 14 July 1973. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
JPS Lotus girls on parade with the winning McLaren M23 Ford of Peter Revson at the 1973 British Grand Prix in Silverstone on 14 July 1973. Photo by LAT Images.
JPS Lotus girls on parade with the winning McLaren M23 Ford of Peter Revson at the 1973 British Grand Prix in Silverstone on 14 July 1973. Photo by LAT Images.
JPS Lotus girls on parade with the winning McLaren M23 Ford of Peter Revson at the 1973 British Grand Prix in Silverstone on 14 July 1973. Photo by LAT Images.
The Marlboro girls could not forget who they were supporting with their outfits at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos, São Paulo, on 27 January 1974. Photo by David Phipps.
The JPS grid girls, British Grand Prix, 20 July 1974. Photo by Best Image.
The John Player Special grid girls. British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, England, 20 July 1974. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
The John Player Special grid girls. British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, England, 20 July 1974.
The John Player Special grid girls. British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, England, 20 July 1974. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
1974 Lotus and a JPS grid girl. Photo by Gerry Cranham.
Jody Scheckter celebrates victory on a trailer carrying his Tyrrell 007, mechanic Roy Topp and JPS promotional girls after the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1974. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
Jody Scheckter celebrates victory on a trailer carrying his Tyrrell 007, mechanic Roy Topp and JPS promotional girls after the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1974. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
Jody Scheckter celebrates victory on a trailer carrying his Tyrrell 007, mechanic Roy Topp and JPS promotional girls after the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1974. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.
The pits at the 1975 British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Ronnie Peterson is nowhere in sight but that JPS Lotus 72E doesn’t look lonely.
Formula 1 girls at Long Beach, USA, in 1976. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Jochen Mass with a Marlboro girl at the Argentinean Grand Prix on January 09, 1977. Photo by Hoch Zwei / Corbis via Getty Images.
Marlene Knaus and Sydne Rome at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone on 16 July 1977.
JPS girls in the pits during the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 12 September 1982. Photo by LAT Images.
Formula 1 girls at Long Beach, USA, in 1983. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Mansell, Lotus, among John Player Special promotional girls during the Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet on 25 March 1984. Photo by LAT Images.
JPS girls at Lotus Renault pits in Jerez, Spain, in 1986. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
JPS girls at Lotus Renault pits in Jerez, Spain, in 1986. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
A Marlboro girl in the Ferrari pits.
Marlboro girls.
Marlboro girls at the practice of the Argentinian Grand Prix on 11 April 1997. Photo by John Marsh / Empics via Getty Images.
Michael Schumacher kissed by Marlboro girls at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa Francorchamps.
Alessandro Zanardi with Jodhi Meares at the 1999 Australian Grand Prix.
Alessandro Zanardi with Jodhi Meares at the 1999 Australian Grand Prix.
A Marlboro girl at the 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Marlboro girls at the Marlboro Masters 2000, a racing event held at Zandvoort.
A Marlboro girl at the Marlboro Masters 2000, a racing event held at Zandvoort.
A Marlboro girl at the Marlboro Masters 2000, a racing event held at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at the Marlboro Masters 2002, a racing event held at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort. Photo by Sutton Images.
Marlboro girls.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls at Zandvoort.
A Marlboro girl at Zandvoort.
A Marlboro girl at Zandvoort.
A Marlboro girl at Zandvoort.
Marlboro girls.
Marlboro girls.
Marlboro girls.
Grid girls at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone on 06 July 2014.
Grid girls at the GP2 Series, round 9, in Sochi Autodrom, Russia, on Saturday 10 October 2015. Photo by Sam Bloxham - Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images.
Russian grid girls in 2016.
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