Lewis Hamilton motorbike probe dropped due to lack of evidence

An investigation into whether Lewis Hamilton broke New Zealand law by filming himself riding a motorbike has been dropped due to lack of evidence, police said.

The Formula One world champion was said to have posted two videos on the Snapchat video-sharing site that appeared to show him riding a Harley Davidson along a motorway.

A spokeswoman for Auckland police said the probe was dropped after officers reviewed the clips, although they reiterated their tough stance on using mobile phones on public roads.

They said: "Auckland City Police will be taking no further action in relation to recent media publicity about Lewis Hamilton and his motorcycle journey in Auckland. The video footage available does not provide us with sufficient evidence that an offence has occurred.

"We would like to reiterate our earlier statements that police take the issue of mobile phone use whilst driving or riding very seriously. It is a significant distraction and a major risk to all road users."

In New Zealand it has been an offence to use a mobile phone while driving a vehicle since 2009.

Hamilton, 31, was in New Zealand for a short stay before travelling to Australia for the first race of the 2016 F1 season.

On Tuesday he wrote on Twitter: "Thank you for having me Auckland even though it was way too short, I'll be back tho!"

It is not the first time the petrol head's behaviour has attracted the attention of the authorities Down Under.

In 2010 he apologised for driving "over-exuberantly" in his high-powered Mercedes C63 near the Albert Park race track, Melbourne, after the car was impounded by police.

It is the same venue where on Sunday he will launch his bid to become world champion for the fourth time.

In December 2007 he was suspended from driving in France for a month after being caught speeding at 121mph on a motorway. His Mercedes car was also impounded.