Lewis Hamilton has been charged over his driving offense on a public road in Melbourne during this year's Australian Grand Prix weekend.
The McLaren driver was stopped by police after he did a burnout and a fishtail in a Mercedes on Lakeside Drive in Melbourne. He has now been charged with intentionally losing control of a vehicle.
A court hearing has been set for Aug. 24 at Melbourne Magistrates' Court,just three days before first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. It is not yet clear whether Hamilton will have to be present at the hearing.
In a statement made on the evening of the offense in Australia, Hamilton said: "This evening, I was driving in an over-exuberant manner and, as a result, was stopped by the police. What I did was silly and I want to apologize for it."
The incident also provoked an angry outburst from Australian Mark Webber about "nanny state" police actions in his home country.