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(CNN)
Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team has been fined $24,500 after the seven-time world champion failed to remove his nose piercing during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Drivers have long been banned from wearing jewelry for safety reasons and while the rule is not new, the FIA - the sport's governing body - has clamped down on it this season, initially frustrating Hamilton.
The Briton, who has multiple piercings, was called out by stewards ahead of qualifying on Saturday after wearing the piece of jewellery.
"Checo" Pérez wins the Singapore Grand Prix and is 2 points behind Leclerc in the F1 championship
Hamilton explained that he developed an infection after removing the piercing earlier in the season and that he had a letter from his doctor advising him to keep it on.
However, Mercedes was fined for submitting incorrect documents indicating that Hamilton complied with the jewelry ban.
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"I wasn't trying to make a statement," an exasperated Hamilton told reporters before Sunday's race.
"I've had my jewelry and nose piercing for years and obviously we had all that fuss at the beginning of the year. At the time, it was welded so it didn't come loose. I was given, at that time for many races, a exemption so that I could find a solution," he said.
"Then I went to have it removed and I tried to find a solution, putting it in and taking it out. It got infected because of that and I continued with this infection. I got a blood blister and I had a sore on my nose," he added.
Hamilton seemed exasperated by the situation at the post-qualifying press conference.
"It's crazy that we have to talk about something so small. I take everything else away. Right now, I don't care, to be honest."
Hamilton also questioned the consistency of the rule, debating how something so small could be a safety issue.
He says officers had previously explained that the piercing was dangerous because of the way the metal would conduct heat if a fire broke out in the car.
"Our closure is metal, our buckle around it, our helmet is metal, we have the cables that have metal in there," Hamilton added on Saturday.
"I don't know, it's a bit silly."
Lewis Hamilton wearing his nose piercing in the paddock at the Singapore Grand Prix.
On track, Hamilton had a difficult race on Sunday after dropping from third on the grid to ninth after making costly mistakes.
He now sits sixth in the drivers' championship with 170 points, a far cry from season leader Max Verstappen's total of 341 points.
The Briton will now head to Japan for the next race on October 9, hoping to see an improvement in both his car and his performances.
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