Lewis Hamilton has been charged in Australia with intentionally losing control of a vehicle after being stopped by police following a practice session for the Melbourne Grand Prix in March.
His silver Mercedes was impounded after he was pulled over in the Lakeside Drive area close to the Albert Park circuit and he was warned that he could face further action.
Now a date of August 24 has been set for a court hearing. The case will be heard at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court but it is not known whether or not Hamilton will be required to attend.
Following the incident, which allegedly involved performing burnout and fishtail manoeuvres in front of fans, the driver issued a statement saying that he had been “silly” and “over-exuberant” as well as expressing regret over the incident.
The Lakeside Drive area is one in which police are said to take a particularly tough line with driving infractions, using what are known locally as ‘anti-hoon laws’ – the term hoon being Antipodean slang for what Brits call a boy racer.