Lewis Hamilton was on Friday night charged by local police after he was caught doing smoky burnouts and ‘fish-tailing’ in a Mercedes road car near the Albert Park circuit.
At 9.15pm in St Kilda, within sight of the Formula One circuit, Hamilton was pulled over in his E500 saloon by a Victorian Police divisional van. Police charged Hamilton, who will be summoned, with improper use of a motor vehicle and have impounded the car for 48 hours. Police confirmed that a 25-year-old Briton has been charged. ESPN F1
Police constable Scott Woodford said the 25-year-old Hamilton’s rear wheels were skidding as he accelerated out of Albert Park, where Sunday’s race is being staged.
“He was disappointed with the incident but extremely cooperative with police,” Woodford said. “Given that Melbourne’s on the world stage with a lot of interstate and international visitors, we would expect drivers to observe road rules.” USA Today
Hamilton has apologised for “overexuberant” driving after being stopped by police. “This evening, I was driving in an overexuberant manner and, as a result, was stopped by the police,” Hamilton said in a McLaren statement. “What I did was silly, and I want to apologise for it.”
The 25-year-old Hamilton was driving a silver Mercedes Benz sedan and police say they have impounded the vehicle. He will be summonsed for improper use of a motor vehicle. The Briton is likely to face a fine if found to have to committed an offence. “It’s something that will be settled in court and would be a monetary matter,” said a police spokesman. “None of these court times or dates have been set as yet.”
The alleged incident happened hours after Hamilton clocked the fastest time in Friday’s practice sessions before Sunday’s Australian grand prix. Hamilton was pulled over close to the Albert Park circuit and taken back to his hotel in a police vehicle. His Mercedes car was also impounded. The police spokesman said: “There were no problems whatsoever when the driver was stopped. He was assisted back to his hotel, which was about six kilometres [four miles] away. He was with a male passenger in the car.” The Guardian
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