And Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman Alex Wurz thinks Hamilton is making a mistake. The 48-year-old has sided with the FIA as he insisted the rules are there to protect drivers. And the Austrian has recalled a story where inappropriate clothing led to prolonged suffering.
Wurz spoke about a talk given by Danish racer Kris Nissen in 1988 following a crash at Fuji, where the driver was burned. And the incident could serve as a warning to Hamilton. “He showed his body and said, ‘look at this,’” Wurz explained. “For him the absolute most painful thing after fire, and it wasn’t a long fire, was the rubber in his normal pants being burnt into the skin. He said it was for years agony and pain. And it educated me.
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Hamilton was critical of the jewellery crackdown and insisted he has jewellery and piercings that cannot be immediately removed. And the 37-year-old even turned up to a press conference ahead of the Miami Grand Prix wearing three watches, eight rings, four necklaces and two earrings in protest.
And Hamilton’s stance has been mirrored by four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who has claimed he is old enough to make his own decisions on and off the track.