Lewis Hamilton's jewellery battle with F1 bosses 'could get very nasty'

Lewis Hamilton’s battle with motorsport governing body the FIA over the wearing of jewellery during Formula 1 races ‘could get very nasty’, according to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz.

Along with all 19 other drivers, the seven-time world champion has been ordered to remove all jewellery and piercings by race director Niels Wittich, on the orders of newly-elected FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem.

The protocol banning jewellery, piercings, and non-fire proof underwear has been in place since 2004 but was never actively enforced before. Hamilton wears an array of jewellery during race weekends and sports piercings which cannot easily be removed, leading him to protest against Wittich’s demands.

Before last weekend’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the 37-year-old turned up to the FIA press conference wearing various necklaces and three different wristwatches in a show of defiance. He has been given a temporary exemption to the rulings until the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix but insists he will not be complying even then.

‘I got an exemption here and I will get exemptions for the rest of the year,’ Hamilton told the PA News Agency. ‘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?’

Now Kravitz says that Hamilton’s refusal to back down could put him on a collision course with the FIA which comes to a head in Monte Carlo.

‘[Hamilton] has taken his earrings out but he can’t take out his nose [stud] and we thought he was going to have minor surgery to take out the nose [stud],’