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After all the fuss earlier, it does appear that Lewis Hamilton has been allowed to wear his jewelry for the 2022 F1 Miami GP. Earlier in the day, the Briton spoke up against the "silly" move by the FIA, asking drivers to wear FIA-homologated gloves, underwear, and balaclavas. He even came out to the press conference wearing multiple watches and jewelry as a sign of protest. The seven-time world champion even threatened not to race if he was forced to remove his jewelry at the Miami GP.
It appears, however, that Hamilton participated in FP1 and the driver was allowed to do so after it was revealed by the FIA that Mercedes had completed the scrutineering declaration. The Race has reported that Hamilton has been given an exemption on his nose studs which he claims cannot be removed. Other than that, the Mercedes driver removed the jewelry from his ears before driving the car.
Earlier in the day, though, Lewis Hamilton had combative words against the directive and even mentioned that he had texted the FIA President as well. Asking the FIA to focus on the bigger issues at hand, the 37-year-old said:
“It’s almost like a step backwards, if you think about the steps we’re taking as a sport and the more important issues and causes we need to be focusing on. I think we’ve made such great strides as a sport…this is such a small thing.”
Sebastian Vettel one of the more vocal supporters of Lewis Hamilton
Sebastian Vettel was one of the more vocal supporters of Lewis Hamilton as he openly claimed in the drivers' press conference that the directive was targeted at the Briton. Vettel said:
“We’re old enough to make our own choices outside the car, we should be old enough to make choices also inside the car.”
Rather funnily, in what was an indirect dig at the new directive, the four-time world champion rocked up to the first Free Practice session wearing his underwear over his racing overalls.
It's great to see, though, that both Lewis Hamilton and the FIA were able to reach the middle ground. The organization was already under fire for what happened at the Abu Dhabi GP last year. Neither the FIA nor the sport needed another rather avoidable controversy. By reaching this middle ground, both the FIA and Hamilton can focus on far more important things than courting another controversy.
