Lewis Hamilton reveals infection caused by nose piercing removal

Henry Valantine
Lewis Hamilton on the grid after qualifying. Singapore October 2022.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton towels down with steam coming off him on the grid. Singapore October 2022.

Lewis Hamilton has spoken about the reasoning behind his nose stud staying in for the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, and it is certainly not for fashion purposes.

Hamilton and Mercedes were called to the stewards on Saturday on grounds of breaching the FIA’s regulations surrounding driver jewellery, the governing body having caused consternation earlier in the year when they began enforcing the long-standing rule more closely this season.

But the seven-time former World Champion revealed he had been receiving FIA exemptions until a cut-off point when the rule came into prominence, but the stud had been soldered into Hamilton’s nose which meant a lengthy process of trying to remove it.

He said things turned out badly for him while looking for a way to move forward with significant consequences for his nose in the process, as he described in detail.

“I’m not trying to make a statement,” Hamilton said of his jewellery after qualifying in Singapore.

“Basically, I had my jewellery and nose stud for years. And obviously we had the whole commotion at the beginning of the year. At the time it was like soldered in, so it didn’t come loose.

“They gave me at the time, for many races, like an exemption until I could find a solution. I went and got it taken out, tried to find a solution, put it in and put it out.

“It got infected because of that. I was just continuing on with this infection. And I had a blood blister, just had quite a sore nose.

“And then I went back and had to have, disgustingly, the blood blister fixed, so it was like pus and blood and stuff.

“So, put this in and the last two weeks it started to heal. And they (the doctors) have asked I keep it in.

“So…it’s crazy we are obviously having to talk about something so small. I take everything else out [while driving]. At this point I don’t really care, to be honest.”

After the stewards investigated the issue, they decided no further action would be taken against Hamilton given the doctor’s note he had, as well as a separate examination by the FIA’s Dr Ian Roberts, to show the necessity of the stud being in this weekend.

Mercedes were fined €25,000, though, due to failing to declare this on their self-scrutineering form, which caused the breach in the regulation.

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