Formula 1 experts tell Lewis Hamilton to keep the L-plates on for now

Having a red light in the pit lane is 'silly', he claimed. And punishing him with a 10-grid penalty in the upcoming French race for ignoring it so carelessly that he rammed into Kimi Raikkonen's parked Ferrari is a 'bit harsh really'.

L-plates: Jackie Stewart believes Lewis Hamilton still has a lot to learn

As a Ferrari official noted, the word 'sorry' was nowhere to be seen on McLaren's printed explanation of Sunday's incident. Shame on you, Lewis, not for an exhibition of driving which would have cost you your no-claims bonus on the streets outside your Geneva home, but for a lack of contrition.

Etiquette apart, the big question is whether his blooper here is merely part of the learning process for a driver just 24 races into his career? Or is there something in Hamilton's make-up that will forever combine magic with moments of madness?

How can he perform like a titan in the rain of Fuji and Monaco, only to drive out of the pits at Silverstone last year while the lollipop was still down? How can he put one hand on the world title in his debut season and then spin into the gravel during the penultimate race in China, albeit on worn tyres?

Then, there was the mysterious gearbox malfunction in the final shoot-out in Brazil. Ferrari are convinced Hamilton, 23, pressed the wrong button.

"It comes down to inexperience," said Sir Jackie Stewart, who won 27 of his 99 grands prix en route to three world championships.

"It could only be expected. He has only been in Formula One for 15 months.

"In Canada it was all about the failure of mind-management. I understand the team told him over the radio that the red light was on and the pit-lane closed on exit. If you are in the lead, the pace car comes out and you need to go into the pits, all sorts of things go though your head.

"Inexperience means you don't have the focus, the singleminded, clear-headed thought process when something like that happens.

"I don't know precisely what they told him over the headset. Given his lack of experience, they should have talked him up the pit lane. Not just "the red light's on" but "slow down, slow down, Kimi has stopped".

"McLaren are used to having experienced drivers, so maybe they assumed more of Lewis than was fair. The fact he had been passed in the pits by Kimi and Robert Kubica might have taken his concentration away. He will make mistakes. And this one cost him the Grand Prix of Canada. I believe the race was his. His pace was such, and even by the time his and Kimi's race ended on lap 17 he had established a useful lead."

Hamilton was mixing the sublime and the ridiculous around the circuit here. He skirted by inches the notorious Wall of Champions, which once snared Michael Schumacher, as he dominated a crumbling track all weekend only to prang his car at 45mph.

Williams' Nico Rosberg made the same error and will also be pushed back 10 places at Magny-Cours in 12 days' time.

Stewart, 68, believes it is too early to detect a trend in Hamilton, saying: "There have not been enough errors yet. He presents himself as so mature, but it is impossible to become Einstein overnight. He would probably say he has been racing in karts since he was eight. But I am talking about the very top level.

"In my first and second years at BRM, I made small errors of judgment that I'd never have made when I was with Ken Tyrrell and winning world championships.

"You simply can't go straight from kindergarten to university. When he looks back in four or five years he will question himself about what sort of person and driver he was in 2007 and 2008."

Hamilton's error was in contrast to the season-long consistency of BMW's race winner Kubica. The Pole now heads the standings by four points with seven of the 18 rounds completed. Ferrari's Felipe Massa is second on countback, with Hamilton third.

But while the inquest continues, Hamilton was his usual positive self. ‘It hasn't knocked me confidence-wise,' he said, looking ahead to France. ‘I'm not gutted. This makes me stronger. I can't wait for Magny-Cours."