Lewis Hamilton Got A Doctor's Note To Avoid Penalty For Nose Stud

Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton was nearly given a penalty for running afoul of the FIA's rules against jewelry. However, ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton got a doctor's note to allow him to wear his nose stud.

The only problem was that note wasn't enough to keep his team from being hit with a pretty hefty fine.

This whole situation started earlier this season when the FIA started enforcing a ban on drivers wearing jewelry in the cockpit. The first major enforcement came ahead of May's Miami Grand Prix. And at the time, Hamilton threatened to sit out if the ban was enforced.

Well, Hamilton hasn't sat out any races and had been granted exemptions each race weekend since.

The ban came up again this past weekend in Singapore. Only this time, the 7-time champion had his trusty doctor's note.

If you're wondering how one gets a doctor's note for a nose stud, it's a fair question. Let's let Lewis explain that one.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton managed to get a doctor's note for his nose stud, but that same stud cost his team €25,000. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images,)

Hamilton Dealt With An Infection After Removing Nose Stud

Hamilton said that the nose stud had been soldered in place. He mentioned getting exemptions from the FIA for several races but decided to fix the problem. The problem was he ran into a problem when he took it out while trying to find a permanent solution.

“It got infected because of that, and I was just continuing on with this infection. I got a blood blister and had quite a sore on my nose. Then I went back and had to have the blood blister fixed, because there was puss and blood," Hamilton said, painting a lovely picture with his words.

“I put this back in, and in the last two weeks, it’s started to heal and they’ve asked that I keep it in. It’s crazy that we’re having to talk about something so small. I take everything else out. At this point, I don’t really care to be honest.”

That doctor's note didn't excuse Mercedes. Hamilton's team was dealt a €25,000 fine (which is pocket change to them, but still a lot for a nose stud).

The FIA reported that Mercedes submitted a self-scrutineering form. In it, they said, “that the driver complied with the requirement not to wear jewelry in the form of body piercing.”

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