Despite losing out against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the final race of the Formula One championship last season, 37-year-old Lewis Hamilton never gave up from the grid and is still racing like a newbie alongside young and fresh drivers in this year’s tournament to achieve more success at the professional level.
However, this Brit driver received warnings ahead of the recently concluded Singapore Grand Prix for wearing jewelry which does not comply with the basic rules of FIA.
How did Lewis Hamilton clarify his nose piercing incident?
Lewis Hamilton avoided a penalty for retaining his nose stud during qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, but Mercedes was penalized more than 20000 euro (about R443 512) fine for falsely claiming the British racer would abide by the jewelry restriction in Formula 1.
The governing body of Formula One, the FIA, has cracked down on body piercings this season. Hamilton, 37, withdrew his nose piercing for the 10th round at Silverstone in July this year after receiving many medical exemptions, however, he was asked to meet the stewards when it was seen on him during local qualifying and practice.
Lewis Hamilton has explained why his nose stud will remain in place for the Singapore Grand Prix last Sunday, and it is most definitely not for aesthetic reasons. The FIA generated controversy early this year when they started implementing the lengthy rule more strictly this season, and team Mercedes were summoned to the officials on last Saturday for violating the restrictions concerning driver jewelry.
Starting P3 tomorrow, a lot we can do from the second row. Car felt great out there for most of it and it feels like there’s a real chance at a win tomorrow. Thanks always @MercedesAMGF1, heads down, see you tomorrow 🇸🇬 LFG!!! pic.twitter.com/SJHJMDkQ0e
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 1, 2022
However, the seven-time World Champion admitted that up to a deadline when the regulation gained notoriety, he had been granted FIA exemptions and the stud had already been soldered into Hamilton’s nose, making removal a time-consuming operation.
In addition to that, Hamilton clarified the incident in detail how things went wrong for him when he was trying to go forward, with serious ramifications for his nose as a result. Moreover, he said that he was not attempting to make a point. In essence, he had his jewelry and nose piercing for a long time. Of course, the hubbub at the start of the year was another factor. It was like welded in at the moment, preventing it from coming free.
The British superstar also added that they (FIA) provided him with what amounted to an exemption at the time for several races while he looked for a solution. Furthermore, he went and had it removed, looked for a fix, installed it, and extinguished it.
Given the doctor’s letter Hamilton received and a secondary inspection by the FIA’s Dr. Ian Roberts to demonstrate the significance of the implant being in this weekend, the stewards concluded no further punishment would be taken upon Lewis after looking over the situation.
