Formula 1 Hamilton banned from driving in France for speeding

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World famous Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been banned from driving in France for speeding, confirmed a French police spokesman Wednesday.

The 22-year-old driver was allegedly clocked travelling at 122mph (196kmh) in a Mercedes near Laon, in the north of France, on Sunday. Police stopped him, detained the car and fined him 600 euros (about 860 U.S. dollars).

The police gave Hamilton a lift to his hotel in their police car. His Mercedes was later collected by a friend.

A spokesman for McLaren, for that he drives, said: "(We) were made aware that Lewis was stopped for speeding in France whilst driving in a private capacity. We understand he has received a mandatory fine and suspension from driving in France for one month."

He added that the incident would not affect Hamilton's professional driving career.

The police spokesman said Hamilton was "very polite and co-operative" when he was pulled over.

Hamilton was asked to appear before a court in Laon in January.

It marks an embarrassing climax to an extraordinary year for the racer, who was signed on to McLaren's young driver program when he was 13 years old.

Hamilton finished runner-up in his rookie season to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 world championship.

Experts have predicted the Stevenage-born Hamilton, Formula 1's first black racing driver, could go on to be bigger than David Beckham and become Britain's highest paid sports star.

Source: China Daily/Agencies