“The biggest unfortunate misstep of a race director,” Toto Wolff sympathizes with Lewis Hamilton after F1 bans jewellery

“The biggest unfortunate misstep of a race director,” Toto Wolff sympathizes with Lewis Hamilton after F1 bans jewellery

Mercedes' Team Principal Toto Wolff

Mercedes Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff must have been one impressed boss after the 2022 Australian GP. 7-time Formula one World Champion Lewis Hamilton finished P4, while rookie George Russell finished third securing his first F1 podium finish as a Mercedes Driver. But The Austrian was not impressed by Formula One’s new bling ban.

Before the Australian GP, F1’s governing body reinforced a rule on jewellery, with new race director Niels Wittich telling drivers that “body piercing or metal neck chains” would not be allowed and would be checked before races. Wittich took over from Eduardo Freitas as Race Director for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton who sports multiple piercings defied the rules saying, “I don’t have any plans on removing them.” And Wolff defended his driver by questioning the motive behind the sudden move to ban.

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Toto Wolff questions new ban, Lewis Hamilton defies ruling

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton continued to wear his jewellery despite the ruling, and after the race explained he would not be removing his piercings as some of which he said were “welded in”. But his Team Principal Toto Wolff questioned the need for erecting a stringent rule.

Wolff said, “How he has run the first few races has been respectful, solid and he hasn’t put a single foot wrong. But is that [jewellery ban] a battle he needs to have at this stage? However, if it turns out to be the biggest unfortunate misstep of a race director, I would take it a thousand times over.”

The restriction on body piercings has been in practice in Formula One since 2004, but Wittich brought it up again in his pre-race notes for the Australian Grand Prix. The restriction, as per F1’s race director Niels Wittich, is in place to protect the driver by preventing them from making a quick exit from their vehicle.

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