Whitmarsh admits to big errors

Speaking on a weekend where his team has become embroiled in its biggest crisis since the spy affair of 2007, Whitmarsh confessed to having deep regrets about the way he has dealt with the situation.

In particular, he thinks it was a big error on his part not to cut short a post-Australian GP holiday he had in Indonesia so he could get to Malaysia and deal with the matter before it blew up into a major controversy.

"One of the criticisms against me is that I was on holiday, that I didn't arrive here in time," said Whitmarsh. "And I have got deep regrets about that.

"But clearly as I left Australia on Sunday evening I wasn't aware of an issue. An issue was started to be reported on Wednesday, which I was told about, but frankly I did not believe the scale of it nor the speed of it.

"I didn't know that the Australian stewards would be here and I hadn't imagined and again maybe [it was] a big misjudgement on my part but I hadn't imagined that there was going to be a stewards hearing here.

"I knew that there was an issue developing on Wednesday and that I had to speak to the people directly, which I did. Through to Friday morning Dave [Ryan] still held the view that he had not lied to the stewards, and that process I needed to go through.

"On Thursday night I left here with the feeling that this was a very severe and significant and embarrassing event for this team. Something which we have apologised for, I have apologised for and I apologise again to the media, to the FIA, to the World Motor Sport Council, to the president for what has happened."

Whitmarsh says his decision to suspend the team's sporting director Dave Ryan for his involvement in the matter was the hardest he has had to make in his career.

"I took a very tough decision, probably the most difficult professional decision of my life, to shatter a life of a very close colleague and friend and a huge part of this team," he said.

Whitmarsh also expressed regret about speaking to the media on Thursday, claiming his team had not lied to stewards, before he was fully aware of what had happened.

"I had a human instinct which was wrong probably, to defend colleagues, both Dave and Lewis and in doing that and jumping to that defence, I hadn't done the necessary homework for which I am deeply regretful of.

"But having spoken to Lewis, and Lewis told me on Thursday evening that he felt he had lied. Dave still did not, but I reflected on it overnight, and had to come to the view that I had to suspend Dave. I told the FIA what had happened and explained it to them, I explained it on Friday.

"Of course I have got a lot of regrets, I wish I had come straight here. I wish I had anticipated it. But in truth even if I was here on Monday, Tuesday and probably Wednesday, it wouldn't have made any difference because it wasn't an event that was unfolding or that we were aware of. And Lewis wasn't here either, he had gone on his own holiday somewhere."