Lewis Hamilton could cause ‘chaos’ at the Monaco Grand Prix by threatening to not race over the FIA’s jewellery ban, warns former Channel 4 commentator Ben Edwards.
He claims the seven-time champion could cause a ‘huge shock’ and refuse to race on Sunday if he is forced to remove his necklaces, rings and earrings.
Similarly, Edwards has suggested the FIA could also be left in a ‘tricky position’ if they back off and let Hamilton do what he wants.
He warns the FIA cannot be seen to ‘suddenly back off’ which could cause credibility headaches for the governing body.
It comes after the FIA launched a crackdown on the use of jewellery behind the wheel this season. Hamilton has openly
defied the ban but was given a two-race exemption to comply with the rules for the Miami and Spanish Grands Prix.
It means Hamilton must comply with the rules this weekend or could face penalties such as a heavy fine. Speaking to Express Sport,
Edwards said: “If they both decide to really hold up against each other it’s going to be a big problem. “The FIA, if they’re declaring something hard they can’t be seen, really, to suddenly back off.
It’s an interesting thing they’ve decided to do but they’ve decided to do it. “If they now back off it rather puts them in a tricky position.
I’m a bit intrigued by the whole situation as to how it will work out and how they will manage to come to a compromise.
“If not it could cause chaos if Lewis suddenly says ‘well I’m not racing’, that would be a huge shock to the whole world of Formula 1.
I’m intrigued to know whether they can come to some sort of compromise on this. It’s such an odd thing to have such a hardball moment about.”
Hamilton purposefully wore three watches to the Miami Grand Prix press conference in protest at the move. He has hit out against the ban publicly, adding: “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.”
However, the Mercedes star was given a temporary exemption after meeting with the FIA medical team about pieces of jewellery he could not easily remove.
