Hamilton cleared for Formula One race after jewelry inspected

Formula One’s governing body inspected Lewis Hamilton’s jewelry before the seven-time champion was cleared to practice Friday ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Hamilton has clashed with governing body FIA over a jewelry ban enacted last year and indicated he had piercings that cannot be removed. He received an exception for his nose stud.

Hamilton said he had to keep the stud in because of complications linked to a blood blister on his nose, which occurred because he kept having to take it out for races. In a later interview with Vanity Fair, Hamilton admitted that he exaggerated his piercings to push back at what he believed was being personally targeted by the ban.

“I mean, yeah. Because I’m the only one that has jewelry on, really,” he told the magazine. “People love to have power, and to enforce power.”

Auto racing: Chase Elliott injured his leg in a snowboarding accident in Colorado on Friday and will miss this weekend’s NASCAR race at Las Vegas. Hendrick Motorsports said NASCAR’s most popular driver was scheduled to have surgery Friday evening.

College basketball: Detroit Mercy’s star guard Antoine Davis finished four points shy of surpassing Pete Maravich as the NCAA career scoring leader on Thursday night, scoring 22 in a loss to Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament. NHL: Coyotes and Flames completed the first deal in the league’s history that involved one brother being traded for another. The Flames got Nick Ritchie and defenseman Troy Stecher from the rebuilding Coyotes for Brett Ritchie and minor-leaguer Connor Mackey.

Soccer: French prosecutors say Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi was given preliminary charges of rape.