Lewis Hamilton was on Friday night charged by local police after he was caught doing smoky burnouts and 'fish-tailing' in a Mercedes road car near the Albert Park circuit.

At 9.15pm in St Kilda, within sight of the Formula One circuit, Hamilton was pulled over in his E500 saloon by a Victorian Police divisional van. Police charged Hamilton, who will be summoned, with improper use of a motor vehicle and have impounded the car for 48 hours. Police confirmed that a 25-year-old Briton has been charged.

Senior Constable Scott Woodford said the man was "extremely cooperative" and "fairly disappointed" with the incident. Wire reports said Hamilton was "visibly upset" and "worried this would dent his reputation". The incident coincides with a push within F1 for better road safety, with all teams contributing to the FIA's global campaign.

In a statement issued by McLaren, 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 apologise for it."