Several F1 drivers have been having their say on the continued debate over wearing jewellery following Lewis Hamilton's comments about the issue. The FIA are clamping down on drivers sporting certain jewellery whilst in the car, but this initially did not go down well with Hamilton, who called the move a "step backwards" during Friday's press conferences ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. As well as this, Hamilton suggested that Mercedes could even be forced to turn to a reserve driver if Formula 1 stopped him from racing with jewellery at this weekend's event. Initially on Friday, it was revealed in a scrutineering document that the team had not confirmed that Hamilton was "complying with the requirement to not wear any jewellery, in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains or watches". However, the paperwork was later submitted, and Hamilton has been given an exemption by the FIA that will allow him to wear unremovable jewellery in Miami and the next round in Spain.
What do the other drivers make of Hamilton's stance?
Sitting alongside Hamilton in Friday's press conference, several drivers were asked for their views on the topic, as well as whether they have any sympathy with Hamilton. Pierre Gasly admitted that he could empathise with Hamilton's view, explaining to media including RacingNews365.com : "I do understand, I do. I do believe there are bigger things to focus on, and I appreciate the FIA looking after our safety. That's also their priority and our priority. "In my personal case, I have also religious items that I wear with me when I'm racing, which are important to me, which I don't feel comfortable not having with me driving the car, and I do feel it's a little bit personal. "We should have the freedom to do what feels right for us." Gasly appreciates the intentions of the FIA, though. "At the end of the day, we have the responsibility to go out there, put our life at risk and I do feel it should be a personal choice, but I respect the FIA and their will to always improve the safety," he added. "But I'd appreciate a talk with them to see if we can find a better solution than such a strict kind of decision as they made, so we'll see what we can do."
F1 drivers look to find a "compromise"
Alex Albon supported Gasly's take on the issue, stating: "I still agree with Lewis' comments. I understand. "It's our bodies at the same time as well, so, kind of like [with] everything when you're older, you're prepared to have [those] consequences if you want to do what you want to do. You have a freedom to yourself." Sergio Perez, meanwhile, is hopeful that the drivers and FIA can reach a compromise on the subject of jewellery. "It's good from the FIA point of view to look after our safety because, at the end of the day, it's for us," the Red Bull driver said. "But, like Lewis said, he's been in this sport for so many years and he's been doing it, and he already has them [the jewellery/piercings] with him, so it's not that easy to remove them. "I think it would be good to find a compromise to work together with them [the FIA], and just make sure that we are all in the same line and not against each other. I think that will be the important thing." After qualifying in Miami, Hamilton stated his intention to ignore the FIA's upcoming deadline , saying he will seek an exemption "for the rest of the year".
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