Drivers have been reminded to not wear jewellery or body piercings when competing in Melbourne at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton is renowned for turning up at race weekends wearing chains and ear piercings and will need to be careful not to breach the little-known rule.
New race director Niels Wittich quoted the FIA sporting code in his race weekend notes in a bid to encourage drivers to follow the rule.
The sporting code says: “The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition & may therefore be checked before the start.” It is understood Wittich referenced jewellery in his briefing to drivers in Jeddah as a driver safety issue.
However, this is the first time the issue has been highlighted in the notes given to teams so far this season. It is believed jewellery could cause drivers to suffer extra injuries in crashes.
In some cases, this could also prevent drivers from escaping wreckages quickly.
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Hamilton has previously been spotted wearing earrings on the grid moments before races. Some drivers have also been spotted wearing rings which would be considered a breach of the rules.
The Australian Grand Prix returns to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2019 after the last two events have been cancelled. The track returns with an updated layout in a bid to boost the number of overtakes on Sunday.
The main change sees the removal of the chicane at turns nine and ten in exchange for an extended straight. F1 has also put in four DRS zones to ensure drivers can complete passes when close enough to the car in front.