Lewis Hamilton could be banned from the British Grand Prix this weekend over jewellery

Racecar driver Lewis Hamilton could be banned from the British Grand Prix this weekend due to a row over wearing jewellery in races.

In 2005, Formula One's governing body put a jewellery ban in place, but the rule has not been tightly followed by the drivers.

"The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition and may therefore be checked before the start," read the FIA's International Sporting Code.

However, new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been eager to enforce those rules and believes it's an essential issue for safety.

Hamilton received a grace period in two races (one in Miami and one in Spain) to remove all of his piercings and jewellery.

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However, the Mercedes driver explained that his nose stud would need surgical attention and that the FIA's supposed clampdown was an "unnecessary spat."

"I feel almost like it's a step backwards. If you think of the steps we are taking as a sport and the more important issues and causes we need to be focused on," he said.

Hamilton added: "I've been in the sport for 16 years, I've been wearing jewellery for 16 years."

He further noted that he and other racers wore jewellry during their "whole careers in Formula One" and that there isn't a reason for it to be a problem now when it wasn't in the past.

"It definitely is positive that we're working with [the FIA], and I think they're accommodating a little bit at the moment.

"But we shouldn't have to keep on revisiting this thing every weekend. We've definitely got bigger fish to fry," he said.

At the time of writing, it is still unclear if Hamilton has abided by the rules and what consequences could occur.

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