FORMULA One world champion Lewis Hamilton has maintained he is not dishonest , despite admitting he was in the wrong after he was disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix.

FORMULA One world champion Lewis Hamilton has maintained he is not "dishonest", despite admitting he was "in the wrong" after he was disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix.

The Tewin race ace had his points won for finishing third on Sunday wiped off, for misleading race stewards after an incident with Jarno Trulli.

Lewis, 24, said in a press conference he had been instructed to "withhold information", when giving evidence about the incident.

He said: "I sincerely apologise to the stewards for wasting their time and making them look silly.

"But I'm very, very sorry for this situation, for my team."

He said: "I just wanted to tell the story to say what happened, I was misled, and that's the way it went.

"I would like to say a big sorry to all my fans, who have believed in me and supported me for years.

"I have shown you who I am for the past three years, it's who I am.

"I am not a liar, I am not a dishonest person, I am 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 and I am learning from it, it's taken a huge toll on me."

The evidence Lewis gave led to race stewards giving Trulli a 25-second penalty, demoting him from third place to 12th in the final order.

A clearly emotional Lewis added: "It's not an easy thing for anyone to put their hand up and step back and admit they're wrong, but the fact is I was in the wrong and I want to apologise to my friends."

Dave Ryan, McLaren's sporting director, was suspended earlier today for his role in the affair.