Hamilton in threat to boycott Miami race
LeWIS VoWS To TAke STAND AGAINST F1 JeWeLLery BAN
yesterday, which he attended wearing rings on every finger, three watches (set to different time zones), a bangle, strings of necklaces and studs in both ears.
A further nose piercing was hidden by his face mask.
“If they stop me then so be it,” said Hamilton. “We’ve got a spare driver, so we’re well prepped for the weekend. There’s lots to do in the city anyway.”
Dutchman Nyck de Vries, 27, who has never raced in F1, is Mercedes’ reserve driver in Miami.
“I couldn’t get any more jewellery on today,” continued Hamilton, adding that he felt the clampdown was almost a backward step at a time when the sport and governing body the FIA should be focused on their latest big breakthrough in America. “This is such a small thing,” he said. “It seems unnecessary for us to get into this spat.” Asked what the solution might be, Hamilton indicated there was only so much he could do.
“I can’t remove at least two of them,” he said. “One I can’t really explain where it is. “But what I can say is it’s platinum that I have, so it’s nonmagnetic, it’s never been a safety issue in the past. I’ve had in 16 years so many MRI scans and not had to take out the platinum. It’s never been a safety issue in the past. I am willing to sign a waiver to take the responsibility away from the FIA if I need to.
“It is about individuality and being who you are.”
Hamilton heads into Sunday’s race 58 points adrift of championship leader Charles Leclerc, left.
Hamilton has had a difficult start to the season in a Mercedes team whose car is not competitive. In the last race, he finished 13th at Imola and was lapped by world champion Max Verstappen after being stuck behind slower cars, which prompted Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko to say after the race that perhaps Hamilton should have retired at the end of last year.
But Hamilton said: “I don’t listen to those silly comments, to be honest. It has been interesting to see – there have been quite a lot of disrespectful comments I have seen over time, but it’s to be expected.
“I just keep my head down.”