Piercing ban in F1, but the Fia exemption has arrived for Hamilton

The Englishman received the go-ahead from the Federation to compete in Bahrain after the report from the Mercedes doctor who certified the risk of infection in case of removal. Current regulations prohibit pilots from wearing jewellery, necklaces or watches for safety purposes

Lorenzo Pastuglia

March 03

– sakhir (bahrain)

“To be, or not to be, that is the question”, wrote Shakespeare in Hamlet. A phrase that in F1 could be transformed into “Jewels or not jewels, this is the dilemma”. Not even the time to start with the first weekend of the season in Bahrain, when in F1 the case relating to the FIA ​​provision (introduced last season) not to wear piercings, necklaces or watches when taking to the track for safety reasons has already broken out. A rule that had sparked the controversy of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. Just the Englishman had repeatedly argued that it was impossible for him to remove certain earrings, which are still permanently stabilized.

apostille fia

A few hours before starting the first free practice of the season on Thursday, technical delegate Jo Bauer had signed a statement certifying that the teams had correctly completed the required documentation for 19 of the 20 drivers. With a footnote: “The Mercedes team – it was written – has not compiled the self-certification for its driver Lewis Hamilton which ensures that he is not wearing any jewellery, be it a piercing, a necklace or a watch”, according to Appendix L, chapter III 5 of the regulations in force.

comes the exemption

Finally, on Friday, Hamilton and Mercedes got the green light from the Federation. The Briton will be able to take to the track with piercings. In fact, the stewards summoned a representative of the Brackley team, who presented a medical report drawn up by the team doctor requesting an exemption from the FIA, on the grounds that the removal of the piercing could have caused an infection. The stewards thus consulted the Federation’s medical delegate, who first looked at the report and then visited the seven-time world champion to verify what was reported. Part of the statement reads as follows: “We have decided not to take any sanctioning action, as there are concerns about disfigurements from frequent attempts to remove the object in question.” The happy ending for the Englishman, who will now be able to get on track.

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