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English model and former F1 grid girl Leilani Dowding has long been a supporter of bringing the models back to the Formula 1 racetrack. They were removed from the sport prior to the 2018 season in a move she's never understood.
It was argued at the time that the models no longer aligned with its brand values. The 46-year-old model disagreed with the decision then and she still does. She was in Los Angeles when the news broke and found out about it in the papers.
British model Leilani poses on a Jaguar Formula 1 race car July 11, 2001, at Hamleys toy store in London, England, during the launch of Hot Wheels' model Jaguar cars ahead of the upcoming British Grand Prix. (Getty Images)
"I thought it was crazy. I remember thinking, 'what is going on?' It was always really welcoming," she told GrandPrix247 in a recent interview.
"The only people who would say stupid things, such as that we were being objectified, were people who weren't involved and had never spoken to us. They were looking in from the outside."
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Dowding thinks the time for grid girls to return to Formula 1 is now. The modern, more entertainment-focused approach, especially at next week's Las Vegas Grand Prix, would be a natural fit.
She has an A-list actress in mind to lead the way and bring the grid girls back to Formula 1. The one and only Sydney Sweeney.
Actress Sydney Sweeney brings out the checkered flag prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
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"Sydney Sweeney would make a fantastic grid girl. I'd love to see her doing it for the Las Vegas GP, she'd be one of my favorites. She should get her boots on and get on that grid," Dowding said.
"I think she'd be wonderful. She'd make so many people angry, especially because you can just imagine them raging, with steam coming out of their heads."
Leilani Dowding doesn’t just want to see grid girls back in F1. She wants to take what the sport is already doing with celebrities and entertainment before the green flag and put it on steroids while ruffling a few feathers.
Sydney Sweeney and honorary pace car driver Sophie Cunningham pose for photos at a drivers meeting before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Nov. 2, 2025. (Getty Images)
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Who better to accomplish all of that than Sydney Sweeney? Not only can she pull it all off, she won't be phased by any of the haters.
I don’t think we'll see the actress leading grid girls back out to the track in Las Vegas next week, but maybe we will one day.
Dowding has a solid "Make F1 Great Again" plan if you ask me. All that's needed is for someone to implement it.
