Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is confident that Lewis Hamilton and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem will "come to a good resolution" over jewellery rules in F1, with the pair expected to maintain a dialogue on the issue. Hamilton, who has worn jewellery whilst racing throughout his career, was adamant that he would not be removing his piercings after a clampdown by the FIA for the Miami Grand Prix. Since the rule was first introduced in 2005, drivers have been banned from wearing certain types of jewellery when on track for safety reasons, but the rule has rarely been policed. However, teams must now confirm that their drivers are free of banned items as part of their scrutineering process, and will risk punishment should they fail to do so. Following a discussion with Ben Sulayem, Hamilton has agreed to race in Miami this weekend without removable jewellery, while the FIA have allowed him a grace period - which will run until the Monaco GP weekend on 27-29 May - to remove items that he is unable to.
Wolff: We need to keep the means of expressing ourselves
At one stage, Hamilton suggested that Wolff may be left needing to call on a reserve driver in Miami, should the FIA prevent him from racing. "I think what was needed was a dialogue between Lewis and Mohammed," said Wolff, speaking to select members of the media, including RacingNews365.com . "It is clear that regulations are here to protect the drivers. On the other side, we need to keep the possibility of diversity and the means of expressing ourselves, and we know that this is important for Lewis. "Without going into detail as to where the piercing stayed and where not, I'm sure they (Hamilton and Ben Sulayem) will come to a good resolution." Despite Wolff's comments, Hamilton has 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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