Formula 1 drivers have been instructed to remove every jewel ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, with the FIA pushing the safety button, in order to prevent injury in the event of an accident or fire.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, has been granted a two-race exemption, as some of his jewels cannot be removed easily.
In view of qualifying for the Florida event, the FIA has issued further clarification on its interpretation of the rules and specified that watches will also be considered part of the ban.
A note from the race director for the Miami GP explains: “In the interest of safety, the watches will be considered as jewels.”
No official document has been released explaining the sanctions that will be imposed in case of infringement of the rules, but some sources have suggested that the commissioners will use a system that will punish the repetition of the infringements.
It is suggested that a first infringement would lead to a fine of $ 52,000, while relapses could bring the sum of the fine up to $ 265,000 (€ 250,000) in addition to accumulating some penalty points on the super license of the pilot.
Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
The risk of such a hefty fine is one of the reasons Kevin Magnussen said he made sure he was following the rules as best he could and also took off his wedding ring when driving.
“I don’t want to pay a € 250,000 fine,” he joked.
Magnussen understands the security reasons behind this FIA request, but having asked him to remove even a symbolic object such as the faith did not make him feel comfortable.
“I understand what they’re doing, but it’s a wedding ring around the finger,” he said. “At most I would burn my finger and, if something bad happens, I would like to have my wedding ring on my finger. It is bad to take it off.”
“With such a thing, like a faith, there has to be a way to decide to take responsibility,” he concluded.
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