Hamilton swerves trouble over Snapchat of him riding his Harley

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has escaped punishment in New Zealand after he allegedly filmed himself riding a Harley Davidson on a motorway and posted it on Snapchat. The two clips were apparently recorded while the Briton was on a brief trip in Auckland. Although officers reviewed the footage, a spokeswoman for Auckland City Police has since said it was not conclusive enough to prosecute. It “does not provide us with sufficient evidence that an offence has occurred”, she said.

We would like to reiterate our earlier statements that police take the issue of mobile phone use whilst driving or riding very seriously. It is a significant distraction and a major risk to all road users.

Auckland Police

She added that Hamilton would face no further action for allegedly using a mobile phone while driving a vehicle, which has been illegal in the country since 2009. Hamilton had earlier hit out at a casino in the city for “treating me like dirt” when staff asked him to remove his glasses and hat before he could get in. The 31-year-old has since travelled to Australia for the first race of the 2016 season, where he has also faced scrutiny over his motoring antics in the past. In 2010, he apologised after driving “over-exuberantly” in a high-powered Mercedes C63 near a race track in Melbourne. The car was impounded by the police. One of his Mercedes cars was also impounded by French authorities in December 2007 when he was caught speeding at 121mph on a motorway.

Lewis Hamilton