"The matter is not particularly massively important"- Lewis Hamilton breaks his silence on a potential F1 race ban over jewelry fiasco

Lewis Hamilton feels F1 and the FIA have 'bigger fish to fry' than a crackdown on drivers for wearing jewelry while racing.

Earlier in the season, the FIA announced that drivers would be checked for proper fire retardant underwear and jewelry whilst driving on track ahead of the 2022 F1 Miami GP.

Ever since then, Lewis Hamilton has been under perennial scrutiny, primarily for the fact that he is the most bejeweled driver on the gird, figuratively and literally. The Briton was given a two-race exemption from then till the 2022 F1 Monaco GP before the possibility of a race ban became a reality.

The race in the Principality came and went but Lewis Hamilton was not reprimanded. Two rounds after racing in Monte Carlo, the seven-time world champion was asked to give an update on the impasse between him and the FIA.

Speaking at a pre-race press conference ahead of the 2022 F1 British GP, the Mercedes driver said:

“With all due respect, it’s kind of crazy to think that, with everything that’s going on in the world, that is a focus for people. And I would say it’s worrying that we’ve got so much bigger fish to fry… I use fish to fry because… I’m vegan, so we don’t fry fish, but you know what I mean. But, yes, we’ve got we’ve really got to start focusing on other more important areas. I will be racing this weekend, I will be working with the FIA. I would say the matter is not particularly massively important. So I will work with Mohammed [ben Sulayem] and with his team so that we can progress forwards.”

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"I would like Lewis to be a role model" - FIA President on jewelry standoff with Lewis Hamilton

FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem wants Lewis Hamilton to be an ambassador and role model for all young drivers by complying with the jewelry crackdown being enforced in F1.

Rules prohibiting jewelry while driving an F1 car have been in place since 2005 but were not strictly enforced until recently.

Ben Sulayem, who took over the role of FIA president from Jean Todt at the end of 2021, spoke about the matter in an interview with the Daily Mail where he said:

“Lewis [Hamilton] saw a doctor in Miami to discuss the jewellery issue - and, guess what, he was a British doctor. I am simply saying the rules are there. It’s not for me to decide the merits of the science - it’s for the medics. I would like Lewis to be a role model, an ambassador, to send the right message to all the young drivers to prevent a tragedy. We should be using him in that good cause.”

The 60-year-old Emirati went on to add, saying:

“I love jewellery. I absolutely love it. But in the car, there can be no choice. People say they (the rules) haven’t been implemented before. Don’t ask me why not. People can ask the old regime why that is the case.”

Whether or not the FIA will choose to enforce these rules the hard way remains to be seen. Heading into qualifying for the 2022 F1 British GP, no update has been issued by the governing body on the matter.