A contrite Lewis Hamilton said today he had been told by McLaren team manager Dave Ryan to lie to stewards at last weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Describing the subsequent storm as the worst thing he had experienced in his life, the world champion apologised to the stewards and to his fans for his behaviour and assured them it would never happen again.

"I was misled," he told a news conference at the Malaysian Grand Prix. "I'm not a liar, I'm not a dishonest person, I'm a team player. And every time I've been informed to do something, I've done it. This time I realise that it was a huge mistake.

"It's taken a huge toll on me," he added.

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