Lewis Hamilton appears to back Monaco GP use of 'grid girls'

The Monaco and Russian Grands Prix have indicated they will defy F1's decision not to use 'grid girls' at races.

Owners Liberty Media said in January it would stop using female models and replace them with 'grid kids'.

Monaco organiser Michel Boeri said his only "problem" with Liberty was "the grid-girl issue," adding: "They're pretty. The cameras will be on them."

Lewis Hamilton appeared to back the move with a post on his Instagram account, before deleting the image.

The world champion published a grab of a picture of some grid girls from another Instagram user with the message: "Thank you Jesus."

Monaco's move comes after the Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak, who heads the Russian Grand Prix organising committee, said he thought it was "wrong" to bring children onto the track because they would be "scared".

"Here it should be adults," he said in quotes reported by Russian news agency Interfax.

"In all forms of motor sport there are girls advertising cars harmoniously and pleasantly.

"If we manage to reach agreement we plan to reinstate this tradition. After all, our girls are the most beautiful."

The Monaco Grand Prix, F1's most prestigious event, is on 27 May, Russia's at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on 30 September.

F1 managing director of commercial operations Sean Bratches said that the use of grid girls was "clearly at odds with modern day societal norms", adding: "We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world."

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams said she felt it was "a decision the sport needed to make".

Susie Wolff, the former Williams reserve driver, said grid girls did not offend her but that the decision to stop using them was "a step in the right direction".