Lewis Hamilton Refused To Remove Jewelry Before Australian Grand Prix

Famed Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton does not seem to be making any changes to his piercing plans after the FIA announced it would be enforcing tighter wardrobe restrictions.

The new director of Formula One, Neils Wittich, included a note reminding racers, “the wearing of jewelry in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition,” before the Australian Grand Prix was set to start on Friday.

Hamilton completed the race and ignored Wittich’s memo. The seven-time World Drivers’ Championship winner told reporters after finishing fourth in the Friday race: “I don’t have any plans on removing,” the piercings. He also added, “I feel there are personal things. You should be able to be who you are.”

He also noted that there are logistical challenges to removing his piercings for each race. “There is stuff that I can’t move. I literally can’t even take these out. These ones on my right ear, they are literally welded in so I have to get them chopped off or something like that. So they will be staying,” Hamilton said.

It seems like Wittich has been entrenching himself in his position as new race director by acting very strictly with rules enforcement, with some wondering why he is pursuing minor infractions so heavily. Former racer and current Mercedes F1 Team CEO Toto Wolff complimented Wittich by saying he “hasn’t put a single foot wrong” in the first few races he directed. He did respectfully critique move by asking if the jewelry ban is “a battle he needs to have at this stage?”