Australian minister slams Lewis Hamilton

A senior Australian transport official has criticised Lewis Hamilton for putting people's lives in danger after police stopped the McLaren driver near the Albert Park circuit.

Hamilton, who came sixth in the Australian Grand Prix, had his Mercedes impounded by police and is expected to be charged for "improper" driving after spinning out the car's rear wheels at an intersection in sight of police on Friday.

Tim Pallas, the roads minister for the state of Victoria, was being interviewed by a radio station on Monday about a government-backed advertising campaign to educate young people about driver safety, in which the advertisements feature the slogan: "Don't be a d***head."

"He's certainly a very silly young man, quite frankly," Pallas said when asked by the radio host about Hamilton's conduct.

"Come on, you're the one who's using the language. Is he a d***khead?" the host pressed.

"Well, yes OK, I'll say it, he's a d***head" said Pallas.

Pallas also said Red Bull's Mark Webber was "irresponsible" after the Australian driver was quoted by local media as saying the country had turned into a "nanny state".

Pallas said Webber's comments were not as serious an issue as Hamilton's brush with the law.