FORMULA One ace Lewis Hamilton has been officially charged over the hoon driving incident that landed him in trouble with Melbourne police.

The English former world champion had a summons served on his solicitor on Monday over traffic offences allegedly committed in Albert Park in March.

Hamilton has been charged with intentionally losing control of a vehicle after being pulled over by a Victoria Police divisional van in Lakeside Drive about 9.15pm on March 26.

Police allege he did a burnout with smoking tyres and a fishtail in a silver Mercedes as he was leaving the Grand Prix circuit, cheered on by race fans before his car was impounded.

A court date has been set for August 24 to hear Hamilton's case, but last night it was not clear if he would fly to Australia to contest the charge.

He is due in Europe for the Belgian Grand Prix from August 27-29.

Penny Martin, whose 17-year-old son Josh died at the hands of a reckless driver, was pleased Hamilton had been charged.

"He has to follow very strict rules and guidelines on the track and he does follow them," she said. "It's good he has to face up to the charges."

Ms Martin said F1 bosses should also penalise Hamilton for being a poor role model by deducting championship points or relegating him on the starting grid if he is convicted.

TAC Minister Tim Holding said Hamilton's brush with Victoria's tough anti-hoon laws was proof no one was given preferential treatment on the state's roads.

And he rejected claims by Australian F1 star Mark Webber that Victoria's road rules were too stringent.

"There are those who said that our hoon driving laws make us a nanny state," he said.

"I reject this completely as our hoon driving laws are making Victorian roads safer.

"Lewis Hamilton reminds us that these laws apply to everyone no matter who they are. I am pleased that he has acknowledged that he is embarrassed."

The silver AMG C63Mercedes in which Hamilton was arrested was sold for $158,000 at auction in Melbourne last month.

FYI, market value for a used C63 in Melbourne is somewhere between AUD 140K - 150K.

This has been SOOOOO OLD

He was charged today. -> http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/spor...RSS&ATTR=Sport

it is old, but it is offical now, he will come to Melbourne for court hearing.

Guy did a burn out and they took his car and sold it??
Are they really that strict in AUS? damn

na..did they not took the car and sold it....MB sponsor the car, it was returned back to MB Australia, sold as a demo car

^^with new tires I hope

What the **** is a anti-hoon law??? Is that hooliganism?? This is why people are LEAVING countries such as AU; If I were him, I'd grab me a Fosters on the plane out and never return.

I foresee a successful chain of doughnut franchises in young Hamilton's post-F1 future.

i m sure if Webber did something like this they would let him free

No Actually, they wouldn't. If anything, he would be persecuted just as bad/if not worse.

Australian driving laws are ****ed. It's a knee-jerk reaction to a retarded, overweight, government reliant bunch of ****ing retards. The Gov't loves it, because it's a form of revenue & control (not only that, they look good in the eyes of joe moron).

Really makes me angry