Seven times Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton defied the jewellery ban implemented by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, April 10.
While speaking to reporters after the race on April 10, Hamilton said he could not take the jewellery off as “they are literally welded on.” Hamilton participated in the F1 battle on April 10 with piercings in both his ears and a nose stud.
He added that it is physically impossible for him to remove some of his earrings so he will be unable to comply with the FIA request.
"These ones on my right ear, they are literally welded in so I have to get them chopped off or something like that. So, they will be staying," Reuters quoted Hamilton as saying after the race.
The 37-year-old racer, who finished fourth for Mercedes in Melbourne on April 10, said some things were personal and insisted that “you should be able to be who you are."
What is the ban about?
New F1 race director Niels Wittich warned drivers before Australian GP that during the competition, they were prohibited from "wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains.”
The rule, which forms Article 5 of the third chapter of Appendix L from the FIA’s International Sporting Code, has been in place since 2004. It was introduced to protect drivers on the event of a quick exit from the car during an accident.
The clampdown on body piercings or chain jewellery isn’t new, and has been actionable for a long time.
In 2005, the FIA had first called for “an immediate ban on the wearing of jewellery” by car racers. The rule was later adopted into the International Sporting Code.
The reminder from Wittich comes as part of the F1 race director’s desire to ensure high safety standards for drivers and to reduce the risks, especially after the fiery crash of racer Romain Grosjean’s car at the 2020 Bahrain GP.
A number of drivers have been spotted wearing jewellery such as rings and bracelets, which can make quickly escaping from the cockpit after an accident more difficult.
Mercedes questions Wittich’s move
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has questioned Wittich’s reminder about the jewellery rule by asking “is that a battle he needs to have?”
Wolff praised the race director for the way he ran the first few races without putting “a single foot wrong.”
“But is that
