Lewis Hamilton threw himself on the mercy of Formula One’s governing body with a personal letter to Jean Todt, the FIA president, to apologise for his racist outburst.

In an eruption of bad temper after a frustrating Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton made a series of ill-judged remarks about his fellow drivers, describing them as stupid, but topped that by wondering aloud whether he had been penalised because he was black.

It was a flippant reference to Ali G, the controversial comic character, but the damage was done. Hamilton dashed to see the race stewards, accompanied by his father, Anthony, to apologise in person.

But the McLaren driver was anxious that the FIA might be tempted to take the case farther.

Todt has set up a judicial court to review cases that could have included Hamilton on a charge of bringing the sport into disrepute. It was in Todt’s mind as he watched Hamilton first barge into Felipe Massa, of Ferrari, and then knock Pastor Maldonado’s Williams off the Monaco track in a display of driving petulance.

“Then [Hamilton] says that his fellow drivers are stupid idiots,” Todt said. “It is unacceptable. I didn’t want to overreact. I could have asked the judicial court to address the problem but we never officially opened the case and he went with his father to the stewards to apologise.

“He wrote to me and it was between him and the FIA. Maybe it would have been a better decision to send him to the judicial court and ban him for six Grands Prix or something. But for me this thing is over.”

It was a narrow escape for Hamilton, whose already faltering World Championship campaign would have been wrecked by a disciplinary suspension. But Todt’s insistence on low-key governance has saved Hamilton to drive at the Canadian Grand Prix, a track where he has dominated in his short Formula One career.

At least for him, there is the chance to return to relative calm of the McLaren garage while outside the argument over the future of the Bahrain Grand Prix will no doubt rage on.