In words that will arguably not be music to thꦿe likes of Lewis Hamilton and co, FIA President Jean Todt has vowed to take a tough approach with regard to the road-going misdemeanours of the current F1 crop - with on-track sanctions to punish off-track antics.

As he settles into what is the most powerful role in international motorsport - having succeeded Max Mosley last October - Todt is seeking t𒈔o stamp his own mark on the FIA Presidency, and has put his weight behind the 'Make Roads Safe' campaign in a bid to save five million lives over the next ten years, with powerful publicity through the medium of F1 a key part of that.

Earlier this year, 2008 world champion Hamilton found himself in trouble with Melbourne police for performing an illegal 'burn-out' in his Mercedes road car after leaving the Albert Park circuitไ. Having been stopped at the scene and had his car impounded on the charge of 'hooning' - deliberately losing control of his vehicle - the McLaren-Mercedes star will subsequently be tried for the offence in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 24 August. The Briton previously lost his driving licence for speeding in France.

Todt's 💛argument is that F1 drivers should be sensible rather than reckless role models, and should be ambassadors for the sport rather than causing it embarrassment. Now, the Frenchman asserts, if a driver acts irresponsibly on public roads, he will pay the price with on-track penalties.

"Last year 1.3 million people died on roads in the world - 90 per cent in developing countries," the 64-year-old told Le Parisien newspaper. "The forecasts for 2020 are terrible, and they estimate that nearly two million people will be killed if 🎃no action is taken by then.

"Now, with a minimum of dialogue, that figure could be halved. This requires education, improved road networks and the involvement of new technology on cars. There is an incompatibility between the status of a role model champion and a possible infꦓringement on the road. A [racing] driver is a driver like the others. We are therefore trying to see whether to do something, and how."