F1’s new racing director, Niels Wittich , wanted to strengthen elements of the FIA International Sporting Code, including a ban on wearing jewelry inside the car and rules related to wearing flame-retardant underwear.
The issue generated debate again at the last Australian GP, and at the Miami GP a verification was incorporated to verify that the regulations were complied with.
Lewis Hamilton, the most affected by the ban on wearing jewelry, even had a talk with the FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem , and assured that he would continue to wear all kinds of accessories.
“Others let them wear the engagement ring. Next time I’ll wear four watches,” Hamilton said then.
The Briton was granted permission to remove his nose piercing at the Miami and Spanish races, but it was to be controlled from the Monaco GP. However, this Friday the FIA has extended the margin until June.
And on the first day of this Monaco GP, although he only wore a watch, Hamilton also wore piercings and a chain around his neck. Asked about his reaction to the FIA’s action, the Englishman looked weary: “Honestly, I feel too much time and energy is being put into this.”
“In the last few races I’ve already said everything I feel I have to say and I’m not thinking about it this weekend [in Monaco].”
“I’ve taken my earrings off every time I’ve gotten in the car, and will continue to do so. The nose piercing is not a problem at the moment.”
Despite saying he was done with the matter, Hamilton was later asked at Friday’s Monaco news conference if there were any positives to be drawn from the FIA’s decision.
And it is that far beyond the image, which is in no way harmed by wearing piercings or other types of jewelry, there is the issue of safety. Many cite Romain Grosjean’s horrific crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP as an example that if something had caught on the driver’s jewelery it would have been more difficult to get the driver out of the cockpit of the burning car.
Hamilton finds that advantageous, and recalled that it is a ban that has been in place for too many years and has never been regretted: “Look, [that jewelry rule] came into force in 2005. I think we’ve all worn jewelry for our entire career in Formula 1”.
“It hasn’t been a problem in the past and there’s no reason it should necessarily be a problem now.”
“Of course it is positive that we are working with them [the FIA] and I think they are settling down a bit at the moment.
“But we shouldn’t have to keep reviewing this every weekend. There are certainly bigger issues to worry about.”
