Hamilton unavailable for Sutil trial opening

London: McLaren`s Lewis Hamilton has told a German court he is unavailable to give evidence on the day his friend and former Formula One rival Adrian Sutil stands trial for causing bodily harm in a nightclub fracas.

The Munich trial is set to start on January 30, with January 31 also set aside, but 2008 world champion Hamilton has team commitments on the first date ahead of the launch of the new McLaren on February 1 at the team`s Woking factory in southern England. The BBC reported Monday that Hamilton`s lawyer had contacted the trial judge to say the driver was prepared to cooperate if summoned but could not do so on the date prosecutors wanted him to appear. Bureau Report