“Oops, that was close,” the 22-year-old McLaren rookie said after hitting the barriers on the temporary track laid out in a central London square at a promotional event organised by sponsor Vodafone.

“It’s a bit bent on the back here,” he added apologetically after inspecting the kart which was bought by a Northern Irish bidder.

Hamilton has finished on the podium after all seven of his starts.

The Briton is 10 points clear of team mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso. – (Reuters)