Lewis Hamilton has admitted he was “just f*cking with it”, regarding his provocative approach to the clampdown on piercings in F1 this year.

At the Australian Grand Prix in April, race director Niels Wittich announced tighter restrictions on the jewellery drivers could wear in the cockpit while on track, citing safety reasons.

Hamilton, renowned for his ‘bling’, thought he specifically was being targeted by the measure, and a stand-off followed between the seven-time former World Champion and the FIA regarding the race weekend from which his piercings would have to be removed.

In the end, the ruling came into effect at July’s British Grand Prix, when Hamilton had to remove his nose stud in order to avoid the threat of a potential race ban.

At the press conference he attended for the Miami Grand Prix in May, Hamilton was clearly making a point of trying to adorn himself with as many items of jewellery as possible.

He has now admitted that was indeed the case – and also that his comment about having a piercing which he could not “really explain where it is” was merely a joke.

“I just put on as much as I could,” said Hamilton during an interview with the September issue of Vanity Fair magazine, referring to the Miami press conference.

And of his comment that he “can’t remove at least two of them – one, I can’t really explain where it is”, he added with a laugh: “I was just f*cking with it.

“I don’t have any other piercings anywhere. But I love that there’s this thinking ‘sh*t, has he got his balls pierced?’”

Really opened up for this one, thank you @VanityFair https://t.co/gnG1z0EeLZ

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) August 8, 2022

The Mercedes driver said his attitude towards the matter had been influenced by a dislike for strict rules that had been with him throughout his life.

“Since I was a kid…rules,” said the 37-year-old, shaking his head. “I’ve never loved being told what to do. People love to have power and to enforce power.”

Another prominent aspect of Hamilton’s appearance are his variety of tattoos, and he explained the meaning of the body art on his chest that reads ‘Powerful Beyond Measure’.

He explained it had stemmed from a quote by writer Marianne Williamson that reads: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

Hamilton explained: “We limit ourselves the majority of the time. And where it really hit me hard is we should never have to dim our light in order to make others feel….”

“If anything, we should shine as bright as we can to liberate others to do the same. I live my life by that quote. For so long in my life, I felt like I was dimming my light because I felt uncomfortable.”

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