"You should be able to be who you are" - Lewis Hamilton has no plans of removing his jewellery despite FIA rule tightening

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he has no plans to adhere to the FIA's tightening of rules pertaining to removal of jewelry before a competition. When questioned by the media on whether he will continue to wear them or remove them before a race, Hamilton revealed he had no plans of removing them as some of them were welded in. He said:

“I don’t have any plans on removing it. I feel they are personal things. You should be able to be who you are. I will continue to be...there’s stuff that I can’t move. I literally can’t even take these out [pointing to piercings in his right ear]. They’re welded in so I’d have to get them chopped off or something like that, so they’ll be staying.”

In his notes ahead of the Australian GP, new Race Director Niels Wittich reminded drivers of the regulations in the International Sporting Code. Wittich stated that the wearing of jewelry in the form of body piercings or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition and may therefore be checked before the start.

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New rules don't affect me: Lewis Hamilton

In recent races, there has been a stricter implementation of rules in the paddock by both the race directors Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich. The two have replaced Michael Masi this season. When Lewis Hamilton was questioned on his opinion of these stricter regulations and whether he welcomed the new approach, he claimed he hadn't paid much attention to all that was happening.

The seven-time world champion said:

“Honestly, I don’t have an opinion about it. Nothing has really affected me so far with whatever they are doing. I’ve not really paid much attention to it. I don’t know what those scenarios were so I can’t really comment on them. They are doing the same as always I would imagine.”

Lewis Hamilton is one of the few drivers on the current F1 grid that wear jewelry in their everyday life. According to Sky Sports, the seven-time world champion even wore jewelry during the race despite the International Sporting Code stating otherwise.

Hamilton finished 4th in the Australian GP behind Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and George Russell. At the time of writing, there has still been no development on the Mercedes driver not adhering to the regulations.