British GP 2022: Lewis Hamilton takes out his nose stud over F1 jewellery ban row
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Lewis Hamilton
In preparation for the British Grand Prix’s opening practice session, Lewis Hamilton has taken off his nose stud. In his showdown with the FIA, the 7-time Formula One World Champion essentially caved in order to prevent a punishment or ban before his home race at the Silverstone Circuit.
The FIA is eager to implement their previously unenforced rule that prohibits jewellery. Mohammed ben Sulayem, the new FIA president, reversed this lenient attitude. He gave Hamilton more time to remove his stud, which the Mercedes driver said needed surgery.
Lewis Hamilton finally backs down in the jewellery ban showdown against the FIA
Although it has been illegal to get body piercings since 2004, F1’s new race director Niels Wittich made the regulation a point of mentioning it in his pre-race comments before the Australian Grand Prix. He then had a two-hour drivers’ conference where he discussed the problem candidly with Hamilton and his colleagues.
According to Wittich, the law is designed to protect the driver by not getting in the way of a quick exit from their vehicle. In an act of resistance, Hamilton has persisted in using a nose stud while competing, and at the Monaco Grand Prix, he received approval to use it until this race weekend.
Lewis Hamilton has taken his nose stud out for opening practice at the #BritishGP.
— Philip Duncan (@PhilDuncanF1) July 1, 2022
When the issue was raised in May, the 37-year-old driver responded by saying, “When they [the FIA] told me about the jewellery, they were saying safety is everything. I said, ‘Well, what’s happened for the last 16 years? I’ve had jewellery on for 16 years. So was safety not an issue back then? I feel like it’s almost like a step backwards, if you think about the steps we are taking as a sport, and the more important causes that we need to be focused on.”
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