Lewis Hamilton could be banned from the upcoming British Grand Prix due to a row over wearing jewellery while racing.
Formula One's governing body, have had a jewellery ban in place since 2005 but the rule has been loosely followed by drivers.
However, new president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has been keen to enforce the rules and sees it as an important safety issue.
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The Mercedes driver was given a grace period of two races (Miami and Spain) to remove all of his jewellery and piercings, yet, he explained that his nose stud would require surgical attention.
At the time of writing we are unaware if Hamilton has abided by the rules and what consequences could take place.
The harshest punishment could involve a ban from the the British Grand Prix.
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Speaking on the rule earlier this month, Hamilton said: "The rule came in in 2005, we’ve all worn jewellery our whole careers in Formula One.
"It’s not been a problem in the past and there’s no reason for it to be a problem necessarily now.
"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."
Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet has apologised to Lewis Hamilton over using a racially offensive term towards the F1 driver in an interview, though he denies there was any racist intent behind them.
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The 69-year-old released a statement saying he 'would like to clear up the stories' over the comments he made about Hamilton.
He said: "What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defence for it, but I will clarify that the term used is one that has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for 'guy' or 'person' and was never intended to offend.
"I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn any suggestion that the word was used by me with the aim of belittling a driver because of his skin colour."
Hamilton has already responded to Piquet's comments, calling for a change to 'archaic mindsets' on social media.
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He tweeted: "It's more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport.
"I've been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."
Formula One also released a statement supporting Hamilton, which read: "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society. Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect.
"His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Lewis Hamilton