The rule, which is part of article 5 of the third chapter of Appendix L of the governing body’s International Sporting Code, was one of those that stood out in the notes of the appointment in Melbourne published by the race director, Niels Wittich .
The full text of the rule is as follows: “The use of jewelery in the form of body piercing or metal chains around the neck is prohibited during the competition and, therefore, may be controlled before the start.”
This reminder ahead of this weekend’s test in Australia is not a new clampdown on piercings or chains , as stewards have long been able to act if they find drivers inside their cars with something. of it in your body.
The FIA first promoted what was described as “an immediate ban on the wearing of jewelery (piercings and chains) by racing and rally entrants” in 2005, and the rule was subsequently adopted at the ISC.
Motorsport.com understands that Melbourne’s move is not in response to a specific case of a certain driver being seen wearing jewelery or getting a piercing behind the wheel of his Formula 1 car during the 2022 season.
Wittich , who replaced Michael Masi as race director for the current course, in an alternation agreement with Eduardo Freitas , is interested in ensuring that these rules are met to reduce the risk of a driver being injured in a serious accident, in the context of Romain Grosjean’s violent crash at the 2020 Sakhir GP.
This appears to be linked to the fact that several drivers on the grid have been discovered wearing jewelery – including rings and bracelets – when in their cars, which could even make it difficult to quickly remove the cockpit in an accident.
In recent years, there have been cases of drivers in another championship – Formula E – being caught up in an ISC offense in relation to what they were wearing under their racing suits while behind the wheel.
At the 2018 Punta del Este E-Prix, then-Audi driver Lucas di Grassi was fined €10,000 and three penalty points for wearing flame-retardant underwear that was too short during the last electric class race in Uruguay.
At the New York event in the same season, Techeetah drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer were also fined for wearing non-compliant undergarments during qualifying.
With these precedents, if an F1 driver is found to be in breach of the jewelery and piercing rule, a similar punishment is likely to be applied rather than a sporting penalty.
