Last season, the FIA began to clamp down on the drivers’ ‘freedom’ to wear jewelry while present on the track. This was done in the interest of safety. In response to this, Lewis Hamilton showed up wearing 3 watches, 8 rings, 4 necklaces, and 2 earrings at the press conference of the Miami Grand Prix. However, he later agreed to remove jewelry he could easily. For the harder-to-remove jewelry, he was granted a two-race exemption.
In particular, the nose stud proved hard to take out, as it had been soldered into it. When he tried to find a solution and got it taken out, it got infected. So, he got it put back in, and the infection began to heal, and the doctors asked him to keep it in. Even now, it has not been removed. Teams have to submit self-scrutineering sheets to the FIA, where they will disclose if their drivers are adhering to the safety rules and the jewelry ban.
For the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first self-scrutineering has been completed. However, Mercedes had not confirmed that Hamilton is complying with the jewelry ban. The document reads: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team has not confirmed for [their] driver Lewis Hamilton (44) in the submitted self-scrutineering sheets that he is complying with the requirement to not wear any jewelry in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains or watches.”
Stewards to take ‘no further action’ over Lewis Hamilton’s jewelry
Once again, Lewis Hamilton has been granted an exemption on medical grounds. Mercedes’ team representative discussed the matter with the stewards, and the stewards received a medical report from the team doctor, requesting an exemption. They then consulted the FIA medical delegate, who examined Hamilton and viewed the medical report and decided to grant an exemption.
Lewis Hamilton has been given a medical exemption that allows him to wear his nose stud in the car, despite the ban on jewellery, on the basis that “there are concerns about disfigurement with frequent attempts at removal of the device,” stewards’ report says pic.twitter.com/4fzhNvqAAX
— Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) March 3, 2023The FIA’s document reads: “We have determined to take no further action as there are concerns about disfigurement with frequent attempts at removal of the device. Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.”
So, there is no threat of (an outrageous) disqualification or even a fine for Hamilton. It seems as if the Briton’s nose stud is here to stay, and he will race with it, at least this weekend.
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