Controversy in Formula 1 over the inspection of the pilots' underwear: “If you want to check my private parts, feel free”

In the preview of the Australian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 authorities reminded the drivers of some clothing regulations that have apparently not been respected in recent races. This caused the discomfort of some figures in the category, such as Pierre Gasly, who did not hesitate to answer.

In statements published by the specialized website Motorsport, the Frenchman ironized about what happened and invited the race director, Niels Wittich, to review the runners' clothing one by one. It was precisely he who gave the order to insist on the regulatory clothing established by Appendix L of the International Sports Code of the FIA.

“I'm not going to comment on it,” Gasly said at first, but then he let go: “If you want to check my ass, feel free, I have nothing to hide. My penis, everything. If that makes you happy, feel free.” But he wasn't the only one who bothered with what happened.

Lewis Hamilton was also angry: “It was the longest pilot briefing of my life,” and continued: “Besides, nobody in the pilot briefing wore masks. Some of the drivers did, but most of the FIA did not, which was uncomfortable for me.” The seven-time Formula 1 champion valued the detail of controlling certain clothes as unnecessary: “And then I don't quite understand the small things they are picking up, like underwear. Are we really talking about that kind of thing? But we moved on.”

The great controversy arose because the FIA emphasized the use of fireproof underwear that protects the pilots themselves. “Obviously we wear the leggings, if you want to call it that, but we don't have fireproof underwear, so it was rather a surprise, I've never heard of it,” said Daniel Ricciardo, who wasn't too enthusiastic about this idea: “If it helps us stay a little safer in those situations, then for Of course I'll invest in some of them. But I don't think they will.”

On November 29, Formula 1 experienced its last serious incident related to fire when Frenchman Romain Grosjean lost control of his Haas, got lost track and hit the guardrail. As a result of the impact, his car broke in two and caught fire, causing burns to his hands for which he had to be operated on. Shortly after the episode, the driver himself said that he thought the worst when he saw that he could not easily get out of the burning vehicle and the image of one of the great F1 racers came to his mind: “I thought of Niki Lauda, I swore that I was not going to end like this, it was impossible, my last race could not be like this. I sat down again, saw death and thought that was it, that I was going to die. My body relaxed at that moment, accepted its fate, I wondered which side I would start to burn on, if it would be painful,” he said and compared his experience to what happened to the legendary Austrian racer at the 1976 German Grand Prix when he suffered a shocking accident and his car burned down completely.

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