Lewis Hamilton and the FIA haven’t seen eye to eye for a very long time and they came at loggerheads once again today in Bahrain. After the conclusion of last season, FIA issued a regulation that prevented drivers from making any political statements without permission from the FIA. Many saw it as a curb on drivers’ freedom of speech, something which Hamilton is passionate about. Ever since then, experts and fans speculated whether the Briton would follow the ruling body’s mandate. He cleared his stance before rolling his car out on the tarmac on Friday.
Before the curb on political statements, the ban on jewelry became a bone of contention between the FIA and Hamilton. Fans know Lewis loves every piece of jewelry he carries, ranging from his ear stud to his nose pin and rings. Despite the rule-making body’s attempt to crack down on it, he stood his ground.
Lewis Hamilton continues to frustrate FIA with non-compliance with their rules
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Before the start of the first practice session, FIA released the list of teams that confirmed their drivers complied with the jewelry ban rule before stepping into the car. All teams had their name on the list, however, Hamilton got a special mention as the Mercedes team doctor, in a report, mentioned that it wasn’t possible for the Briton to remove some of his jewelry without disfiguring the said jewelry or the body part.
Later, news through some inside channels broke that the FIA asked Lewis if he was going to make any political statement during the race weekend. The 7x-time champion did not give a definite answer to the question. But once fans tuned into the live coverage of the session, they saw him sport the LGBTQIA+ pride flag on his crash helmet.
Have a look at how lauded him for his bravery in standing up to the FIA once again.
Bestie woke up and chose violence today. And I love it for him. https://t.co/JFIOXZqLxz
— Lee Thandi (@lee_thandi) March 3, 2023
Read More: Carlos Sainz Falls Back on Max Verstappen & Co.’s Strengths to Avoid Ferrari’s 2022 Blunder
Lewis Hamilton with the black car and pride helmet combo pic.twitter.com/nCxLuQLFsS
— t 🌿 (@formullana) March 3, 2023
Some fans were worried that his antics might land him into trouble, resulting in disqualification or some other penalties.
oh thank god. i was so scared the sporting fines would scare him but i forgot my goat https://t.co/mW18uw5Ew1
— sly 🪐 (@pogicedes) March 2, 2023
He’s gonna be disqualified on the first race back https://t.co/UI4OPKffCH pic.twitter.com/DdyhWMwx7B
— V (@Osaki_Soryu) March 2, 2023
everyone tune in to practice cause we’re not seeing him race 🙏🏻 https://t.co/TaNUcNOTey
— em (@KZSAINT) March 2, 2023
Some appreciated him for standing his ground and not abandoning the beliefs he is passionate about.
Oh I am so ready for Lewis' response. Just the GOAT doing GOAT things.🍿 https://t.co/Cds9vpEnsu
— Sara (@allkindsofwx63) March 2, 2023
Goat behaviour. It's not just what you do on track, it's what you do of it as well!
— Connor Daly (@doodlescloud) March 2, 2023
Lewis Hamilton helmet never misses 🌈 pic.twitter.com/Yz9U3mvPL4
— Alex (@_alexf1_) March 3, 2023
Another fan praised him for putting all doubts about whether he will comply to rest on the very first day of action.
Bestie ready to come out swinging on day 1 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/8xHqdVXOte
— Lee Thandi (@lee_thandi) March 2, 2023
Oh he's not playing around https://t.co/pruOystAvP
— chrissi (@hollandsflicker) March 2, 2023
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Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton Warns F1 Over Ban: Chop My Right Ear With Piercings Welded On
Just don’t get a penalty man 😭
— luke (@_LukeWHU) March 2, 2023
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Do you think the FIA will practice a heavy-handed approach this time around to make sure every driver complies with its rules? Or are drivers like Hamilton too big a beast for them to tame?