You haven’t forgotten “Hoongate,” have you?
Well, even if Lewis Hamilton wanted to, he can’t. The McLaren driver has been charged in the incident, which occurred during the Australian Grand Prix weekend when he allegedly performed a “burnout” while leaving the track.
Here are the quick details via the AP:
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has been charged over a street “burnout” performed outside the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Hamilton was charged with intentionally losing control of a vehicle in a summons served on his Australian solicitor last week. A Victoria state police spokeswoman confirmed Sunday that a summons was served on a 25-year-old Swiss resident.
The matter will be heard in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Aug. 24, although it is not known if Hamilton will have to appear. The Belgian Grand Prix is Aug. 29.
Hamilton had his borrowed Mercedes impounded under Victoria’s so-called “hoon” laws on March 26 after it was alleged he was intentionally spinning and skidding his tires at the entrance to the Grand Prix track at Albert Park.
So, we already know that this incident affected Hamilton’s performance at Oz. I guess we know get to see if the lingering threat of prison time in Australia (yeah, I don’t think there’s anyway he gets that, but it’s great to think of him locked away with Paul Hogan, Russell Crowe and the cast from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) will have any impact on his performance this summer.
This certainly seems like no big deal, just the expected next step in this silly drama. Anyone think it could become something more serious, such as really being a distraction for Hamilton?
