High-flying British Formula 1 superstar, Lewis Hamilton was brought down to earth yesterday after he crashed his race car.

Fans were stunned as Hamilton spun out of control on a tight test track, but the world championship leader climbed out unscathed.

But rather than a high speed collision in his £1 million F1 car, it was a tiny racing go-kart.

As he emerged from the kart – which had just been bought in a charity auction for £42,100 – he sheepishly said: "It's a bit bent on the back here".

Hamilton, who was handing over the kart at an event in London, clipped a kerb and spun the kart into a crash barrier, before limping it back to the pits where its new owner was anxiously waiting.

• Lewis Hamilton will drive his McLaren-Mercedes F1 car on the famous hill climb circuit on Sunday's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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