Lewis Hamilton has remained defiant in the face of the FIA clampdown on drivers wearing jewellery.
The issue has been vociferously debated in the past month, with Hamilton clashing with F1 bosses at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. After being warned that the rule was going to be enforced strongly, he turned up for his Thursday media duties sporting multiple watches, rings, and piercings.
He also said he would be prepared to boycott the race if organisers continued to insist upon the measures. Eventually, he reached an agreement to officials, taking off his earrings to compete whilst being given a two-race exemption for his nose studs.
That exemption has expired following the race in Miami and then Spain last weekend, but the seven-time world champion has doubled down on his stance in Monaco. And that's despite a warning from former F1 driver Alex Wurz, now heavily involved in driver safety, that the ban was for the 'right' reasons.
"It's not been a problem in the past and there's no reason for it to be problem necessarily now," Hamilton told reporters. "Honestly, I feel like there's just way too much time and energy being given to this.
"I've said everything I feel I need to say on it in the last races and that's not what my focus is this weekend. "[I've been] taking out my [ear] studs for every time I've been in the car, and I will continue to do so. The nose ring is not a problem, at the moment."
Hamilton did reveal he was still holding discussions with the FIA, and also questioned why the sport was suddenly so keen to embrace the measure: "Look, [the jewellery rule] came in in 2005," he continued.
"I think we've all worn jewellery our whole careers in Formula 1. It definitely is positive that we're working with [the FIA] and I think they're accommodating a little bit at the moment."
And the 37-year-old, who has long called for more diversity in F1 and spoken out on a range of issues, reiterated that the sport should be focusing elsewhere: "We shouldn't have to keep on revisiting this thing every weekend. We've definitely got bigger fish to fry."
Indeed, Hamilton himself is undoubtedly more concerned with getting his 2022 campaign up and running, having shown more pace in Spain last weekend. He finished fifth in the Grand Prix, after recovering from an early puncture.
However, Mercedes struggled again in Friday's first practice in Monaco. As per usual in 2022, it was Ferrari and Red Bull who dominated, with Charles Leclerc quickest ahead of Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, and Max Verstappen.
Hamilton meanwhile, was down in 10th after narrowly avoiding going into the wall. Teammate George Russell was eighth.
