Hamilton sorry for careless comment

Lewis Hamilton was left eating humble pie on Sunday night after initially accusing the Monaco stewards of racial overtones in their decision making.

Hamilton was left seething following a Monaco Grand Prix in which he was twice hit with penalties for causing collisions with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado.

With adrenaline pumping and emotions running high, Hamilton vented his fury as he said: "It's an absolute frickin' joke. I've been to see the stewards five times out of six this season."

What followed, after being asked to explain why, was a remarkable accusation, adding: "Maybe it's because I'm black." Within an instant, and in trying to make light of his remark, the 25-year-old said: "That's what Ali G says", referring to the fictional television character made famous by Sasha Baron Cohen.

It is understood Hamilton then departed the circuit, only to return upon team orders to explain himself to the stewards, with the four-man panel including Scotland's Allan McNish. It was a wise move as Hamilton, who eventually finished sixth in his McLaren, has avoided being hit by the FIA with a disrepute charge.

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

"But what I said 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, and the joke didn't come at the most appropriate time.

"So I went there, made that clear to them, we've made our peace. They accepted my explanation, they understood. They said 'We've all competed before and we understand the passion, where you are coming from', and we all shook hands afterwards. The weekend was tough, I feel like I've had everything thrown at me, and I've managed to catch it and deal with it the best I could."

Massa and Maldonado, however, were less than impressed with the 26-year-old as both have criticised his driving. Massa, who crashed out in his Ferrari in the tunnel moments after Hamilton had attempted to dive down the inside at the Loews Hairpin believes the FIA should teach the Briton a lesson. "What he did was unbelievable. Not just with me, but with other drivers as well," said Massa.

As for Maldonado, the Venezuelan rookie was denied his first points with Williams in F1 when he collided with Hamilton at Ste Devote, which sent him into a barrier. "I think he tried the same manoeuvre on myself that he tried on Felipe. Exactly the same, he was too optimistic," said Maldonado.