A senior Australian transport official said Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton had put people`s lives in danger when police stopped the Briton for a driving offence near the Albert Park circuit.
|Last Updated: Mar 29, 2010, 07:39 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Melbourne: A senior Australian transport official said Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton had put people`s lives in danger when police stopped the Briton for a driving offence near the Albert Park circuit.
Hamilton, who came sixth in the Australian Grand Prix, had his Mercedes impounded by police and is expected to be charged for "improper" driving after spinning out the car`s rear wheels at an intersection in sight of police Friday.
Tim Pallas, the roads minister for the state of Victoria, was being interviewed by a radio station Monday about a government-backed advertising campaign to educate young people about driver safety, in which the advertisements feature the slogan: "Don`t be a dickhead."
Pallas was asked by the radio host about Hamilton`s conduct.
"He`s certainly a very silly young man, quite frankly," Pallas said.
"Come on, you`re the one who`s using the language. Is he a dickhead?" the host pressed.
"Well, yes OK, I`ll say it, he`s a dickhead."
Pallas also said Red Bull`s Mark Webber was "irresponsible" after the Australian driver was quoted by local media as saying the country had turned into a "nanny state."
"It`s certainly changed since I left here -- it pisses me off coming back here, to be honest," Webber was quoted as saying following a question about Hamilton`s driving offence.
"It`s a great country but we`ve got to be responsible for our actions, and it`s certainly a bloody nanny state when it comes to what we can do."
Pallas said Webber`s comments were not as serious an issue as Hamilton`s brush with the law.
"I draw the line at Mark, because I think what Mark Webber has done has been totally irresponsible, but he didn`t display the behaviour that Lewis Hamilton did, and that was put people`s lives at risk," he added.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.