Under investigation by commissioners since the start of the day in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton was finally not sanctioned while wearing his piercing while driving. In contrast, Mercedes was fined €25,000 in the same case, for not reporting this situation correctly to the administrative level.
The new race direction formed this year by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich decided to enforce the ban on wearing jewelry, following warning the pilots and giving them several races to comply. Lewis Hamilton, although annoyed by this directive, finally complied and the chapter seemed closed since he had notably removed his piercing during the last Grands Prix. However, he wears it once more on track this weekend on the Marina Bay circuit. Logically, the seven-time World Champion and his team were summoned by the marshals to explain themselves, especially since the presence of this jewel was not declared in the self-verification form that the teams must provide to each Grand Prix since 2019.
After investigation, Lewis Hamilton was cleared by the commissioners, who accepted his explanations: the Briton contracted an infection and the medical staff advised him not to remove his piercing until complete recovery. Mercedes has also provided the FIA with an appropriate medical report. “The stewards then consulted the FIA’s deputy medial delegate, Dr Ian Roberts, who read the medical report and concurred with the opinion it mentions”specifies the written decision of the commissioners. “In light of the extenuating circumstances, we have decided to take no further action.”
Lewis Hamilton following qualifying for the Singapore GP.
Third in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, where he fought for pole position, Lewis Hamilton took advantage of the press conference organized following the session to explain himself.
“I’m not trying to send a message [en portant à nouveau ce piercing]”he assured. “Actually, I’ve had this jewel in my nose for years. And there was all this commotion at the beginning of the year. At the time, it was like welded, it wouldn’t come off. They m gave a waiver for several Grands Prix until I found a solution.Then I went to have it removed and tried to find a solution to put it back on and take it off [régulièrement]. It got infected because of that, and I continued to do so despite this infection. Afterwards I had a ball of blood and I had a hell of a wound on my nose. Then I had to have the blood ball treated, it was disgusting because there was pus, blood and all that. Then I put this on and the last two weeks it started to heal, and they [les médecins] asked me to keep it. It’s crazy to have to talk regarding something so small. I remove everything else. Frankly, at this point, I don’t really care.”
“I have a letter from the doctor. I did my best and, as I told Charles [Leclerc]one of the reasons given [pour retirer les bijoux] a while ago was that of heat if there is fire, with metal being conductive. But our wetsuits have it covered. Our harnesses, the zipper, the buckle around the helmet, the wires [pour la radio], there is metal. I don’t know, this is all a bit silly. The marshals should be there to ensure our safety, but this is not a safety problem.”
Regarding the €25,000 fine imposed on Mercedes, the commissioners indicated that the sporting director of the German team “wasn’t aware that Lewis Hamilton had a piercing [dans la voiture]”.
“At the last Grands Prix, Hamilton had removed the piercing before racing”says their report. “The team assumed, without inquiring from Hamilton, that he continued to follow the same procedure for this Grand Prix. The Stewards accept that the error in the form was not intentional or deliberate, but it would not have taken place if the team had inquired with Lewis Hamilton before filling it.
