Hamilton: Stewards accepted apology

In a BBC interview immediately after the event - in which he had been penalised for collisions with both Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado - Hamilton described the stewards' decisions as a "frickin' joke", and when asked if he had an explanation for why he had received the punishments, sarcastically replied: "Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says. I don't know."

McLaren later announced that Hamilton had returned to the stewards to apologise for his comments, and he told British newspaper reporters that he was satisfied the matter was now resolved, and that they understood that his 'Ali G' remark had been intended as a joke.

"I've just been to the stewards to make peace," he said.

"It was a bit of a joke, which wasn't funny at the time. I made them aware that when emotions are high - and it's very intense at the end of those kind of races - you don't always say the right thing.

"We've made our peace. They accepted my explanation, they understood. We all shook hands afterwards. They said it was a tough weekend, let's move on, and they all wished me well for the season."

Hamilton added that he did not expect any further action against him now he had clarified his comments to the stewards.

"They said at the end that they would make sure other people in the FIA understand," he said, "and that anybody else who has heard it and misunderstood, that they'll clarify it with them and it won't go any further than the meeting room.

"Should I have said it or shouldn't I? Like I said I was trying to be funny, but it wasn't funny.

"You're not always right when you're trying to be funny. Sometimes you really put your foot in it and you offend people."