Lewis Hamilton has denied trying to “make a statement” by wearing jewelery at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, prompting an investigation by stewards.
The FIA has taken a tough stance against drivers wearing jewelery since the start of the season. Starting in the fifth round, Miami teams must complete a declaration that their drivers will comply with “Article Five Regarding Ornaments”.
Hamilton was cleared by stewards after they received a doctor’s note that led to a nose job. He explained that he was wearing the brace this weekend due to a problem with his nose following the removal of a permanent ornament to comply with FIA rules. Back inside, he insisted, he “didn’t try to make a statement.”
Removing the permanent nasal bridge caused medical complications, Hamilton explained. “I’ve really been taking off my jewelry and nose for years, and we had a complete mess at the beginning of the year,” Hamilton said.
“by the time [the nose ring] It was as if he had been sold not to be released. At that time they gave me free until I got the solution for several races. Then I went and took it out and tried to find a solution and put it in and took it out. Because of this it is contaminated.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
“I’ve been going through this infection and I’ve had a blood clot and I’ve been running about it so my nose is really sore. That’s all the stuff I said before the match.
“Then I came back and – disgustingly – I had to have the blood clot fixed because there was like pus and blood and stuff. And I put this in and the last two weeks it started to heal and they asked me to put it in.
He is not impressed with the FIA’s efforts to crack down on drivers wearing jewellery. “It’s crazy that we started talking about something so small,” he said. “I’ll take out the rest. At this point, I honestly don’t care.
One of the reasons drivers are prohibited from wearing metal jewelry during races is the risk of it melting to their skin in the event of a fire. But Hamilton did not believe that it was necessary to remove the jewelry for this reason.
“I was telling Charles. [Leclerc] One of the excuses I was given a long time ago was about heat and if you’re in a fire, metal conducts heat. But our zippers are metal, the buckle around our helmets is metal, the wires we have metal in there. So it’s a bit silly.
We hope you will be sensible. The stewards are supposed to be there to protect us, but most importantly, this is not a safety issue.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
2022 Singapore Grand Prix
Browse all 2022 Singapore Grand Prix articles
