After a two-race exemption, Lewis Hamilton and the FIA could once again be at loggerheads over jewellery at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
This year race director Niels Wittich, with the backing of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has been trying to fully enforce a long-standing rule that all drivers are prohibited from wearing jewellery when in the car for safety reasons.
While other drivers have complained about things like wedding rings and religious symbols, Hamilton has been at the centre of the dispute due to his multiple earrings, piercings, watches and other bling.
You got the time, Lewis? 😉✨✨ pic.twitter.com/7EazbIXfdk
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 6, 2022
In Miami, he was able to remove everything except a nose stud, due to the need for minor surgery to remove it and for which he was given the two-race exemption. However, that expires this weekend.
“No,” he was quoted by the PA news agency on if he planned to remove the stud. “I got an exemption here and I will get exemptions for the rest of the year. Wedding rings are allowed. I will wear four watches next time.
“This whole safety thing, man. When they told me about the jewellery, they said safety is everything. And I said ‘well, what’s happened for the last 16 years? I’ve had jewellery on for 16 years, so was safety not an issue back then?’”
Should Hamilton keep the nose stud in, it is possible the FIA could give him a fine, penalty points or, in the most extreme scenario, exclude him from taking part as he would not pass scrutineering, in the exact same way a car can be kept in the garage for the same reason.
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But while other drivers have joined Lewis in questioning 'why now?' the push to remove jewellery, around the paddock there was little support for the 37-year-old's stance.
“At the end of the day, it’s a rule that has been in place for many, many years,” McLaren boss Andreas Seidl was quoted by Motorsport-Total.com.
“If you have worked in other categories, it’s not even a discussion.
“If you don’t want to take off your jewellery or put on your fireproof underwear, you just don’t drive. It’s very simple and straightforward.”
Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz also backed the FIA, although thinks the matter has been handled poorly.
“It is a rule for the right reasons,” he told Reuters. “I would have probably liked a slightly different approach of how to deliver the message.
“I don’t want to end up in football where there are more hands in the air and verbal abuse…you have to work together. It’s a style I would have preferred in this case.”
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 21, 2022
One man is supporting Hamilton on the topic, however, and it's someone he perhaps least expected, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
“I think they have gone too far,” he told RTL.
“This should be a personal decision of the drivers.
“I don’t remember how long Hamilton has been in F1, but he has been wearing this jewellery all these years. So why did they suddenly decide to invent this topic?
“I think we have enough other things to worry about,” he noted. “We must accept and respect the individuality of each driver.
“Do I side with Hamilton? Yes I do, and this is my honest opinion.”
