British Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton was Monday branded a
"d***head" by a state roads minister in Australia, The Herald Sun
reported.
The former world champion was pulled over by police on Friday
for doing a burnout and fishtail in his Mercedes as he turned into
a busy street outside the Albert Park track in Melbourne.
The incident, which Hamilton has since apologized for, came
days before the Victorian state government released a new road
safety advertising campaign aimed at young people.
The new viral blitz, which will target Facebook, Twitter and
other social network users, will feature the slogan "Don't be a
d***head".
Asked about Hamilton during an interview about the new
campaign, Victorian Roads Minister Tim Pallas said Monday: "Yes.
Okay, I’ll say it. He’s a d***head."
Pallas would not give the same label to Australian F1 driver
Mark Webber, despite the Red Bull star claiming that Victoria was
now a "nanny state".
Webber, who finished ninth in Sunday's Grand Prix in
Melbourne, was slammed by police after saying a growing number of
rules and regulations in Australia left him feeling as though he
needed to read an instruction book before getting out of bed.
Pallas said while Webber's comments were “totally
irresponsible”, Hamilton’s behavior had put lives at
risk.
“Whether or not you’re a world champion racing
driver, or you’re someone who’s just got their license,
if you decide to behave in an unsafe manner on a public road, that
is dangerous,” he told 3AW Radio.
And he was unapologetic in justifying the use of a phrase in
the campaign that some will find offensive.
"What we found is some of our messages just aren't getting
through to young people about road safety," he said.
"We all know a young person out there learning to drive,
developing their skills and far too often they think they are
unable to be harmed by bad driver choices and decisions.
"This is about talking to young people in a language they
understand and have it transferred by their peers."
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