Lewis Hamilton turned up at the Miami Grand Prix wearing every piece of jewellery he could fit on his body, an apparent protest of a crackdown on body piercings by the FIA motorsports governing organisation.
“I couldn’t get any more jewellery on today,” the seven-time world champion said.
The FIA on Thursday tightened its ban on non-regulatory underwear and body piercings by making it part of official scrutineering, meaning such choices are subject to review by race officials.
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Hamilton arrived in the paddock wearing an all-denim outfit with several open buttons on his long-sleeved shirt that showed at least four stacked necklaces.
Hamilton later emerged in his Mercedes shirt wearing at least three watches and with four rings on each hand. He also has earrings and a nose ring, and said some of the piercings cannot be removed.
However, he removed almost all his jewellery in time to drive in practice after he threatened to spend the weekend seeing the sites of Miami instead of racing.
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Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel voiced his displeasure over the rule and said he thought FIA was being petty.
“I think it is a bit unnecessary to blow this topic up and probably at this stage is more of a personal thing, I feel a particular way targeted to Lewis,” Vettel said. “In a way, there’s a concern for safety, obviously if you have stuff and the car does catch fire. To some degrees, there is personal freedom and we are old enough to make our own choices.”
The governing body for Formula One said drivers may be subjected to checks before competition because “the wearing of jewellery underneath the required flameproof clothing can reduce the protection afforded by this equipment.”
“Metallic objects, such as jewellery in contact with the skin can reduce heat transmission protection and thus may increase the risk of burn injuries in the event of a fire,” the FIA wrote. “The wearing of jewelry during the competition can hinder both medical interventions as well as subsequent diagnosis and treatment should it be required following an accident.”
The FIA said jewellery can snag during emergency removal from a car, and can also complicate or delay medical imagining.
“In the worst case, the presence of jewelry during imaging may cause further injury,” the FIA wrote. “Jewellery in and/or around the airway can pose specific additional risks should it become dislodged during an accident and either ingested or inhaled.”
Hamilton has been pushing back since the FIA first announced a potential clampdown and on Friday said he’d sign a waiver assuming all responsibility. He said he has worn his bling while competing for 16 years in F1 without an issue, and also undergone numerous medical imaging sessions also while wearing his jewellery .
Hamilton said he sent new FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem a message before arriving at the track noting the jewellery fight seemed silly in the big picture and that “I don’t want to fight with you guys, ever.”
He said he hoped for further discussions with Sulayem and the FIA, but sounded prepared to hold his ground.
“If they stop me, then so be it,” Hamilton said. “We’ve got spare drivers ready and prepped for weekends. There’s lots of things going on in the city, anyway, so I’ll be good either way.”