Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren team escaped an immediate ban over the Liargate scandal today as Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone admitted they got away with “a slap”.

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council met in Paris to rule on charges relating to the world champion and the team's former sporting director, Dave Ryan, lying to officials in a bid to deprive Jarno Trulli of third place at the Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren had braced themselves for suspension from at least one race and possibly exclusion from the rest of the season. However, in what will be regarded as an extremely lenient punishment
considering the gravity of the offence, the British team only received a three-race ban suspended for 12 months.

The FIA said in a statement: “Having regard to the open and honest way in which McLaren team principal, Mr Martin Whitmarsh, addressed the WMSC and the change in culture which he made clear has taken place in his organisation, the WMSC decided to suspend the application of the penalty it deems appropriate.

“The penalty will only be applied if further facts emerge regarding the case or if, in the next 12 months, there is a further breach by the team of article 151c of the International Sporting Code.”

McLaren had faced five charges of bringing the sport into disrepute. And considering they were still effectively under probation following the Spygate scandal of 2007, when the team were fined a record £50million and thrown out of the constructors' championship after being found in possession of technical secrets belonging to Ferrari, many observers felt the FIA would this time throw the book at them.

However, the FIA's statement suggests that a campaign of appeasement led by Whitmarsh and Hamilton, seventh in the title chase having already been disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix, had worked.

In the wake of Liargate, Ryan was sacked and McLaren chairman Ron Dennis, whose relationship with the FIA and their president Max Mosley was frosty in the extreme, severed all links with his company's Formula One operation.

In addition, Hamilton made a humiliating apology and Whitmarsh wrote a letter directly to Mosley offering an “unreserved apology”.

Ecclestone, a member of the WMSC, insisted the suspended ban was “good, fair and honest”. He added: “I think Martin was happy with it. They knew they did something wrong, so they got a slap.”

Mosley said: “We think it is entirely fair. They've demonstrated there is a complete culture change, it's all different to what it was.

“In those circumstances it looks better to put the whole thing behind us, which is what we've done. So unless there is something similar in the future, that's the end of the matter.”

Speaking after the verdict, Whitmarsh said: “I thank the World Motor Sport Council for affording me the opportunity to answer their questions.

“We are aware we made serious mistakes in Australia and Malaysia and I was glad to be able to apologise for those again.

“I was also pleased to be able to assure the council members that we had taken appropriate action with a view to ensuring that such mistakes do not occur again.”