Lewis Hamilton made an emotional apology yesterday for deceiving Formula One stewards after McLaren suspended its long-standing sporting director Dave Ryan for masterminding the misleading statements at last weekend's race.
McLaren said Ryan was to blame for the deception, but speculation continued about whether Hamilton would be disqualified from future races as well, or even the entire season.
Race stewards ruled that McLaren deliberately misled stewards at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix during a hearing about Hamilton's role in an exchange of third place with Jarno Trulli while they were behind the safety car.
Hamilton yesterday admitted to backing up Ryan's misleading version of events by telling stewards he received no instruction from the team to yield third place to Trulli when, in fact, he had.
"This situation is the worst thing I have experienced in my life," Hamilton said. "I have never felt so bad. It's right for me as a human being and as a man to tell you exactly what went on."
instructed and misled
Hamilton, the defending champion, said he was "instructed and misled" by Ryan to withhold evidence.
"I am not a liar and I am not a dishonest person," Hamilton said. "I am a team player and every time I have been informed to do something I have done it. This time, I realised it was a huge mistake and I am learning from it. It's taken a huge toll on me."
A fresh stewards' hearing into the Melbourne event was held at the Malaysian Grand Prix meeting on Thursday, with audio evidence of the team radio transmissions and a media interview Hamilton gave between the end of the race and the stewards' hearing.
Thursday's hearing overturned the Melbourne verdict, giving third place back to Toyota's Trulli and excluding McLaren and Hamilton from the results.
However, the matter could go further and be referred to the World Motor Sports Council, with the available penalties including suspending McLaren or Hamilton from future races or this year's entire championship.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh would not comment on whether he would consider his own position as a result of the scandal, but said Ryan acted without higher team authority in electing to withhold information from the stewards.