It’s a shame that Lewis Hamilton missed pole position in Formula 1 qualifying in Singapore. So we will never know whether the matter with the jewelry ban would then have receded into the background. But as it is, everything revolves around the nose piercing of the record world champion.
While his opponent Charles Leclerc is happy about his ninth pole position of the season and Max Verstappen curses his team for sending him off with too little fuel, Hamilton has to justify himself for wearing a nose stud during the Singapore weekend.
As evidence, interviews were conducted and film material was viewed showing the 37-year-old Briton with a piercing in his nose during qualifying. Before the race commission, he referred to a medical certificate from his doctor, who advised him not to remove the piercing after an infection. Hamilton was able to avoid a fine – but not his racing team, Mercedes.
Not explicitly asked
The Formula 1 teams themselves are responsible for ensuring that drivers and vehicles start at the official sessions in accordance with the rules. As part of the control form, each team must confirm that their riders are not wearing jewelry. Hamilton’s team also submitted a self-inspection form for car 44 prior to the first race, stating that the driver was complying with the requirement not to wear body piercing jewelry.
However, this explanation was incorrect. As the team leader explained, Mercedes was not aware that Hamilton wore the piercing again in Asia. He has repeatedly questioned the usefulness of the jewelry ban. In recent months, however, he has always removed the piercing before the competition. It was therefore assumed that this was also the case this time and no explicit inquiries were made.
The stewards responsible for compliance recognized that the error in the statement was not intentional, but it would not have occurred had the team checked with Hamilton beforehand. “Under these circumstances, we impose a fine of 25,000 euros on the team,” the report reads.
The Fia has been tougher since the start of the season and do not want drivers to wear jewelry behind the wheel. This is dangerous in the event of an accident, it is said, among other things. But for a Formula 1 driver who risks overturning at high speed with a car that might catch fire, a nose stud doesn’t seem like an understandable threat.
Like the Fia reported on their websiteHamilton commented at the press conference after qualifying: “One of the arguments we were given a long time ago was the heat. When you’re in a fire and metal transmits the heat. But our suit is full of it. We have the straps, our zipper is metal, the strap from the helmet is metal. There are cables in there that are also metal. I don’t know, it’s all a bit ridiculous.”
With material from dpa