Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
By now, most of you have heard about the latest conversation topic in Formula 1 that is not related to vehicles, tires, racing, or lap times. Yes, we are writing about the jewelry ban, which has already been covered here. This article is about why we think the discussion has emerged and why the FIA is wrong on this.
As you may have noticed, several Formula 1 drivers have protested against a ban on wearing jewelry while racing. Lewis Hamilton protested by wearing three watches made by his official watch partner.
One of them is the latest chronograph from the Swiss marque, so the protest fits like a glove. Pun intended, but Lewis is not allowed to wear it during the race, while the rest of the team can.
Other drivers have protested against the sudden decision to reinforce a rule from 2005 in other ways. German F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, now racing for Aston Martin, wore a pair of boxer briefs over his racing overalls. Some might say he looked like Superman, but that is a different story. Evidently, they can wear what they like as long as it does not interfere with their racing or put them at risk, but suddenly enforcing an older rule is tough to explain.
The problem, as Lewis pointed out, is that the FIA has had this rule in its book ever since 2005 but has never bothered enforcing it until the Miami GP. It is unclear why Miami was selected to be the place where the rules get more stringent suddenly.
Lewis was quick to point out that he has been racing for 16 years in Formula 1, and he noted that he had his body piercings prior to entering the sport. Mind you, at that time, the rule already existed, but it did not bother anyone, it seems.
Sir Lewis Hamilton also pointed out that his nose piercing cannot be removed and placed back again after a race, and it is made out of Platinum, which means that it is non-magnetic. To nail his point down, Lewis has also specified that he has taken many MRI scans in these past years and that he never had to take it out.
The issue with the change is that the FIA is unpredictable with its application of rules, which is not something that anyone wants from the organization that leads their business.
On the other hand, most, if not all, of the jewelry worn by racing drivers has been observed by stewards in prior years, but we could not find a mention of it being a problem before. Again, that underlines a double measure, which implies that only some rules are respected while others are not. The FIA needs to get its rule book straight and decide which is which.
As anyone can attest, it is ideal to have all the rules in the sport obeyed; otherwise, more might get bent or broken. Mind you, the entire situation comes just months after another rule application scandal with the FIA and Formula 1, this time involving the last race of the 2021 season.
Reportedly, the decision to enforce the ban is a “fixation” of the new President of the FIA, Mohammed bin Sulayem, but that is just a rumor, as there is no official confirmation of this.
Just for the sake of the discussion, just imagine if the latter is true; though, it would mean that an individual is forcing his private beliefs on a group of people just because that individual is in a position of power. If this ban is enforced, one cannot help but wonder what's next? Tattoos? Fake water is allowed, though.
Now, since we wrote about a rumor that might explain the current situation, it does not mean that it is necessarily true or that it is the main reason for the decision to enforce older rules. However, there is a part where the governing body of a sport decides to focus its efforts on something that will not improve the cars or the racers.
For example, Carlos Sainz' crash in FP2 should have made the officials place a Tecpro barrier there, but they did not, and Esteban Ocon crashed in the same place in FP3. A priority on safety should involve focusing on making the tracks and the cars safer, don't you think?
We should point out that it is within the FIA's legislation to enforce rules, but nobody can explain why it has not enforced this rule earlier. Doing it after the first race seems unfair and brings too much controversy if you start a discussion on the topic.
One of them is the latest chronograph from the Swiss marque, so the protest fits like a glove. Pun intended, but Lewis is not allowed to wear it during the race, while the rest of the team can.
Other drivers have protested against the sudden decision to reinforce a rule from 2005 in other ways. German F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, now racing for Aston Martin, wore a pair of boxer briefs over his racing overalls. Some might say he looked like Superman, but that is a different story. Evidently, they can wear what they like as long as it does not interfere with their racing or put them at risk, but suddenly enforcing an older rule is tough to explain.
The problem, as Lewis pointed out, is that the FIA has had this rule in its book ever since 2005 but has never bothered enforcing it until the Miami GP. It is unclear why Miami was selected to be the place where the rules get more stringent suddenly.
Lewis was quick to point out that he has been racing for 16 years in Formula 1, and he noted that he had his body piercings prior to entering the sport. Mind you, at that time, the rule already existed, but it did not bother anyone, it seems.
Sir Lewis Hamilton also pointed out that his nose piercing cannot be removed and placed back again after a race, and it is made out of Platinum, which means that it is non-magnetic. To nail his point down, Lewis has also specified that he has taken many MRI scans in these past years and that he never had to take it out.
The issue with the change is that the FIA is unpredictable with its application of rules, which is not something that anyone wants from the organization that leads their business.
On the other hand, most, if not all, of the jewelry worn by racing drivers has been observed by stewards in prior years, but we could not find a mention of it being a problem before. Again, that underlines a double measure, which implies that only some rules are respected while others are not. The FIA needs to get its rule book straight and decide which is which.
As anyone can attest, it is ideal to have all the rules in the sport obeyed; otherwise, more might get bent or broken. Mind you, the entire situation comes just months after another rule application scandal with the FIA and Formula 1, this time involving the last race of the 2021 season.
Reportedly, the decision to enforce the ban is a “fixation” of the new President of the FIA, Mohammed bin Sulayem, but that is just a rumor, as there is no official confirmation of this.
Just for the sake of the discussion, just imagine if the latter is true; though, it would mean that an individual is forcing his private beliefs on a group of people just because that individual is in a position of power. If this ban is enforced, one cannot help but wonder what's next? Tattoos? Fake water is allowed, though.
Now, since we wrote about a rumor that might explain the current situation, it does not mean that it is necessarily true or that it is the main reason for the decision to enforce older rules. However, there is a part where the governing body of a sport decides to focus its efforts on something that will not improve the cars or the racers.
For example, Carlos Sainz' crash in FP2 should have made the officials place a Tecpro barrier there, but they did not, and Esteban Ocon crashed in the same place in FP3. A priority on safety should involve focusing on making the tracks and the cars safer, don't you think?
We should point out that it is within the FIA's legislation to enforce rules, but nobody can explain why it has not enforced this rule earlier. Doing it after the first race seems unfair and brings too much controversy if you start a discussion on the topic.
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