Lewis Hamilton Avoided Six-Race Ban Following 'Apology Letter' to FIA

Lewis Hamilton once avoided a massive six-race ban after he wrote a humble apology letter to the FIA.

After securing a shock third place start for the Mexico Grand Prix in qualifying, Sunday's race ended in disaster for Ferrari star Hamilton.

When the lights went out to signal the start of the race, things quickly went wrong as Hamilton battled it out with Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc for P2 at the very first corner.

Later in the race, Hamilton once again clashed with former rival Max Verstappen, leading to him being handed a 10 second penalty that he described as unfair, admitting that he felt 'let down' by the FIA.

And it's not the first time that the seven-time champion has clashed with Formula One's governing body, as he once wrote them an apology letter to avoid a brutal race ban.

Lewis Hamilton had a disastrous Mexico Grand Prix. (Image: Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Speaking after the Mexico Grand Prix, Hamilton admitted: "I am very disappointed with the FIA. He [Verstappen] also went off the track, and there was no penalty.

"Ultimately, I feel very let down by the governing body. It’s double standards as you can tell, and it is what it is."

His comments about double standards are reminiscent of his controversial rant following the Monaco Grand Prix in 2011.

After he was penalised for two incidents during the race, the former McLaren driver hit out at stewards, suggesting they were targeting him throughout the season.

"It's an absolute frickin' joke," he said post-race.

"I've been to see the stewards five times out of six this season."

When asked to elaborate on why this was the case, Hamilton jokingly replied:"Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says."

Lewis Hamilton was not happy following the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix. (Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Former FIA president Jean Todt was furious with Hamilton's outburst and called for the Brit to be brought before the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) court for bringing the sport into disrepute.

However, Hamilton managed to avoid all punishments as he quickly chose to visit the stewards to apologise, while he sent a personal apology to Todt and the FIA.

Discussing the incident, Todt told the Telegraph: "“I am trying to maintain a good harmony amongst everybody. “I have tried to avoid controversy. I could have leaked the letter but it’s between him and the FIA.

For me what Lewis said was unacceptable, but I didn’t want to overreact. I could have asked our judicial court to address the problem, but we never officially opened the case.

"He went to the stewards to apologise. He went with his father.

“Maybe it would have been better to put him in the court, to ban him for six grands prix. But he wrote to me and I wrote to him and the thing is over.”