Lewis Hamilton and the FIA’s war over its new crackdown on jewellery is a ‘bit odd’ and ‘strange’, warns Channel 4 commentator Ben Edwards. He says drivers have ‘very obviously’ been wearing jewellery for years and ‘nobody has said anything’.
Edwards adds the FIA’s sudden decision to crack down on the rule was a ‘bit strange’ and questioned why this has not come up before. The new jewellery crackdown has been an issue since new race directors Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas took the helm.
They have argued it is a safety risk to wear jewellery behind the cockpit and have asked team bosses to check their drivers are not wearing any when they step into the car. Edwards told Express Sport: “It’s an odd one the FIA have suddenly done it when for years, these guys have been wearing jewellery very obviously and nobody has said anything.
“Yet in the junior ranks of motorsport it’s always been a thing, don’t wear your watch when you’re on track and stuff. We are all watching F1 and seeing what they are wearing.
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However, reports suggest the FIA has now further extended his exemption to June 30. Hamilton took a stance in Miami, wearing three watches and chains to the pre-race press conference.
However, he cut down on this in Spain with just a couple of items on show. Hamilton has previously spoken out about the jewellery ban, claiming it was a backwards step for the sport.
He said: “When they told me about the jewellery, they were saying safety is everything. I said, ‘Well, what’s happened for the last 16 years? I’ve had jewellery on for 16 years. So was safety not an issue back then?’
“I feel like it’s almost like a step backwards, if you think about the steps we are taking as a sport, and the more important causes that we need to be focused on. I think we’ve made really great strides as a sport. This is such a small thing.”