F1 News

Hamilton's piercing statement falls flat: 'Makes something big out of it'

12 May 2022 at 11:06
Last update 12 May 2022 at 14:13
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  • GPblog.com

Will Buxton has voiced his criticism online of Lewis Hamilton 's stance on the rules surrounding jewelry and piercings in Formula One. According to Buxton, Hamilton and Mercedes have asked for this themselves.

Piercings in F1

The new race rules have caused irritation for Hamilton and Mercedes. For years the regulations have stated that drivers are not allowed to wear jewelry and piercings during a session in Formula 1, but this was never seriously looked at. This year, the race committee wants to tighten the reins, but in doing so it is coming up against Hamilton.

Hamilton is the biggest victim of this cited rule. He wears a lot of jewelry and piercings and would like to continue wearing them. In Miami, the seven-time world champion made a statement by appearing at the press conference with multiple watches, necklaces and bracelets. However, Formula 1 journalist Buxton was not amused.

No attack on Hamilton

''In full knowledge Hamilton's fans will disagree, this feels like a strange hill to plant your flag on. Lewis and Merc called on the FIA to apply the rules to the letter. The new RD is doing that. You don't then get to choose which rules you want to follow,'' Buxton stated on Twitter.

''This rule has been around for longer than Lewis has been in F1. It's not been created just for him. This, and the underwear reg, is about applying the lessons learnt from the Grosjean crash. If he truly believes it to be such a small issue, then why make it such a big one?'

Hamilton does seem to be playing hardball, as he previously let it be known that he has no intention of removing his piercings. Until the GP in Spain he has an exemption for this, but after that the piercing must be removed. Whether it really gets to the point where the stewards will suspend him remains to be seen, of course.