McLaren Mercedes were yesterday given the lightest of punishments by the FIA for Lewis Hamilton's attempt, alongside a senior team official, to cheat their way to third place at the Australian Grand Prix last month.

After a short appearance by Martin Whitmarsh, the new M cLaren team principal, before the FIA's 24-strong World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris, at which Whitmarsh did not contest five charges of bringing the sport into disrepute, the governing body imposed a suspended three-race ban.

This will have come as some relief to Hamilton, who has been trying to restore his equilibrium after the biggest personal crisis of his brief but controversial career in Formula One. There had been fears McLaren might have been banned for up to three races, which would have wrecked Hamilton's already meagre chances of retaining his World Championship.

Under Whitmarsh's leadership and since Ron Dennis, his predecessor, relinquished all involvement with the company's Formula One activity after the “Lie-gate” affair, it has been obvious that there has been an attempt to turn over a new leaf at McLaren.

Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, insisted that the Council's decision was “entirely fair”. “They [McLaren] have demonstrated there is a complete culture change, that it's all different to what it was,” he said. “In those circumstances, it looks better to put the whole thing behind us, so unless there is something similar in the future, that is the end of the matter.”

Mosley made an intriguing remark that suggested he believes his old foe, Dennis, played a key role behind the scenes in events that led Hamilton and Dave Ryan, the sacked McLaren sporting director, to lie to the stewards after the race in Melbourne and before the next event, the Malaysian Grand Prix. “In the end, there were decisions taken by people who are no longer involved and, that being the case, it would have been unfair to go on with the matter,” Mosley said. McLaren have always argued that, on the management side, only Ryan was involved in the attempted subterfuge. But Mosley's suggestion that more than one person was behind it and that these “people” are no longer involved appears to be a reference to Dennis, who, together with Ryan, is the only individual on the management side who has since left McLaren's Formula One programme.

According to one source, Whitmarsh came over as tired and strained but genuine in his desire to face up to what had happened. His demeanour was said to have played an important role in convincing the council to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“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 WMSC said. It added that should any further facts emerge, or there be any further breach by McLaren in terms of bringing the sport into disrepute over the next 12 months, the ban will be applied.

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, who had been worried about the impact on key McLaren sponsors such as Mercedes-Benz of a severe sentence, was delighted with the outcome. “It was good for everybody, that decision,” he said. “They had their wrists slapped and that was all they needed. They've had enough punishment.” McLaren's appearance before the WMSC yesterday was the second by the team in less than two years. In September 2007, they were fined a record $100 million (now about £68million) for using secret technical information from Ferrari in the “Spy-gate” scandal.

It also emerged that Mosley was contacted by Whitmarsh at the height of the crisis to inquire whether his resignation would be appropriate. “He's straightforward and wants to work with us,” the FIA president said yesterday.

The WMSC went on to consider Mosley's proposals for the rules for next year's championship amid indications that the FIA will push ahead with imposing a voluntary budget cap on the teams. Mosley had pitched the cap at £30million a season, but he is set to announce that the first cap will be set higher, at about £40million.