LAON, France (AFP) - Formula One star Lewis Hamilton was fined 578 euros (914 dollars) by a court here on Monday for speeding.



The 23-year-old Briton, who finished runner-up in the world drivers' championship in his debut season last year, had already been banned for a month after being caught speeding at 196km/h (122mph) in a Mercedes by police on a motorway near the northern town of Laon on December 16 last.

The speed limit on French motorways is 130km/h (85mph).

The McLaren driver had already paid a 600-euro fine in January.

The car which was impounded was collected later by a friend of the driver.

Hamilton did not attend the hearing but his lawyer Jean-Francois Veroux said that "for him (Hamilton) it's as if he had made a mistake during a Grand Prix because he is aware of his responsibility towards young people".

Veroux added that his client was also willing to participate in a road safety campaign.

"He admitted the offence immediately and was really very polite," a police spokesman said at the time, adding that Hamilton had said in his defence that the motorway was "very clear" at the time.