Sabine Schmitz was rocking the Bavarian barmaid look at the Top Gear launch – but not everybody approved (Picture: BBC)

The new series of Top Gear hasn’t even started yet, but the show has already run into a spot of bother – over Sabine Schmitz’s choice of outfit for its launch event.

The German racing driver, who was named as one of the show’s new presenters earlier this month, showed up to the launch in Liverpool in a ‘Bavarian barmaid’-style get-up of off-the-shoulder top and leather corset.

But despite the 46-year-old paying homage to her nationality in the outfit, fans were left fuming – accusing the show of sexism and suggesting that it hadn’t moved on at all.



‘I thought the idea was to go away from the sexist regime under Jeremy Clarkson,’ one fan told the Daily Star.


‘But at first glance it doesn’t appear like a lot has changed.’

Others took to social media to air their feelings about Sabine’s choice of gear:

Sabine Schmitz and I need to have a talk about outfits.. in German so she gets it. — ⓐ ⓛ ⓔ ⓧ (@petroIhead) February 23, 2016

Although some wondered what the fuss was all about:

Having a laugh at the latest Top Gear nonsense. Outrage because Sabine Schmitz was dressed as a Bavarian barmaid. — Das Adam (@ZeroEmerald) February 24, 2016

A show source told the Mirror that Sabine chose the Bavarian-influenced outfit herself, saying: ‘All new Top Gear is truly an international affair so Sabine wanted to inject some fun into proceedings in front of an audience of global TV Executives.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC for further comment.

Sabine is the show’s first female presenter for 15 years (Picture: BBC)

Sabine – whose driving skills have earned her the nickname the Queen Of The Nurburgring – is the show’s first female presenter for 15 years, following in the footsteps of previous hosts Angela Rippon, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Kate Humble.

She will join a line-up which also includes TV presenter Rory Reid, YouTube star Chris Harris and commentator Eddie Jordan as well as Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc.

Chris said at the launch that the new series, which hits screens in May, will be ‘more inclusive’ – although Matt added that the format hasn’t been changed that much.

‘The last show wasn’t broken, there’s no need to fix it,’ he said.

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