Hamilton sure to sparkle in Monaco

By Tom Pilcher

WOKING, England (Reuters) - A week after making a leaden stage appearance as a Greek god, Lewis Hamilton cradled a diamond-studded helmet on Thursday and recast himself as Formula One's 'King of Bling'.

"Bling bling, I love it," declared the 23-year-old McLaren driver after showing off the sparkling helmets that he and Finnish team mate Heikki Kovalainen will wear at next week's Monaco Grand Prix.

"Diamonds are a beautiful thing," added the Briton. "I'm always racing but sometimes you get some of the nice quirks and bonuses and I guess this is it."

The presentation certainly put more of a smile on his face than the sponsor appearance in Turkey last week, where he had to descend uncomfortably from the sky in his race overalls in the role of Apollo.

The helmets, each with the drivers' signature traced out with hundreds of gems, are the creation of diamond company and McLaren sponsor Steinmetz.

The drivers will also receive diamond rings, in Hamilton's case for the second year in a row after he was given one worth $10,000 and modelled on a tyre before his Monaco debut last year.

The Briton came second to then-team mate Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who has since returned to Renault, in a race that blew the lid off their simmering on-track rivalry.

Hamilton, who finished a fighting second to Ferrari's Felipe Massa in Turkey last weekend, will be a favourite to go one better this year and get the Monaco win that he felt he was denied in 2007.