They say you can tell a lot about a person from their underwear. Well, the FIA wants to know if F1's drivers are complying with the rules when it comes to their undergarments.
In Friday's drivers' briefing, FIA co-race director Niels Wittich reminded drivers of the dangers of wearing synthetic undies that don't comply with the FIA's International Sporting Code.
In the event of a fire, fabric worn under a driver's race suit such as nylon, acrylic or polyester will melt when ignited and may cause extremely severe burns.
According to Appendix L of the FIA’s ISC, drivers must wear gloves, long underwear, a balaclava, socks and shoes that are homologated to the FIA’s standards.
In 2018 in Punta del Este, Audi Formula E works driver Lucas di Grass was fined €10,000 for wearing underwear that was not compliant with the International Sporting Code.
However, while the FIA will undertake occasional checks in the future verify that drivers are following the rules, a grace period will ensure that no penalties or fines are levied upon a competitor in the short term.
The FIA has visibly decided to enforce some of its seemingly less essential rules more strictly. On Thursday, Wittich published a note in which F1's co-race director reminded drivers that wearing jewellry while out on the track is strictly forbidden.
Referring to Friday's drivers' briefing in which the topic of underwear was addressed, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner joked that it had been "an entertaining drivers' briefing".
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