Diamond luck in Monaco

Once again, the McLaren steering wheels will be encrusted with diamonds for the Monaco Grand Prix, courtesy of a partnership between the Woking team and Steinmetz. Lewis Hamilton will also be running with a modified helmet design, which includes two red dice on its reverse side.

A number of diamonds have been raced in Monaco in past years, not least in the helmet of winner Kimi RÃ¤ikkÃ¶nen in 2005 and also on the front nose cones of the 2004 Jaguars, although the idea proved to be a costly one after a diamond was stolen following a Grand Hotel Hairpin crash for Christian Klien.
At McLaren, the individually crafted diamonds will be placed on the steering wheels of British Champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, with the latter racing for the team in Monte-Carlo for the first time this weekend.

Both drivers' helmets, which will be revealed later on Wednesday, also feature the Steinmetz world championship diamond crest

"To be racing for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and using a unique Steinmetz diamond-crested steering wheel, which has been created especially for me, is a great honour," Button commented. "The workmanship on the diamonds is beautiful and it will be a great addition to the most glamorous race of the year."

"They look absolutely incredible and add a real bit of bling to the cars," Hamilton added. "I won at Monaco in 2008 wearing a Steinmetz diamond-studded helmet, so I'm hoping it will bring me luck again this year." GPUpdate.net