Lewis Hamilton won’t be in attendance at Adrian Sutil’s court appearance where the German will answer to charges of aggravated assault against Lotus co-owner, Eric Lux.
The McLaren driver had been asked to testify in the trial, in what a spokeswomen from the court described as a “mandatory appearance” to provide evidence.
However, Hamilton’s lawyer has made contact with the judge overseeing the trial to explain that he won’t be able to make the dates he has been summoned to appear – 30th and 31st of January – due to commitments to his team.
McLaren are set to unveil their 2012 car, the MP4-27, at their Woking factory on February 1st.
It isn’t yet clear as to whether the trial will go ahead as planned without the 27-year-old, or whether it will be postponed until later in the year when Hamilton is available.
The 2008 world champion is thought to be a key witness as he was present at the time the assault is reported to have taken place in the M1NT club in Shanghai.
