LEWIS HAMILTON said he never expected an apology from the FIA after Formula One’s governing body finally published its report into last season’s controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

On the eve of the new season, the FIA said its former race director, Michael Masi “acted in good faith and to the best of his knowledge” after he fudged the rules following a late safety car to allow Max Verstappen the shot to beat Hamilton to the title.

The governing body described Masi’s move as a “human error” before concluding that the results of the race can no longer be changed, effectively reaffirming Red Bull’s Verstappen as the 2021 world champion.

They also stopped short of offering Hamilton and his Mercedes team an apology. Masi was removed from his post last month.

Hamilton, who will line up from fifth at Sunday’s season-opening race in Bahrain, said: “Look, I wasn’t expecting an apology and it is not something I have focused on.

“We know that is the way it is, and that was probably not going to happen. But at least there is that transparency, and it has been called a human error and that is a positive step.

“We cannot go back unfortunately and change the past so I just look at what I can do now.”

In the final stages of the season finale on 12 December, Masi wrongly ordered only the lapped cars between Hamilton and second-placed Verstappen through, providing the Dutchman — on fresh tyres — a shot at passing Hamilton, who was on old rubber.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team lodged and then dropped their appeal against the result in a reported quid pro quo agreement that Masi would be removed by the FIA — an accusation the Silver Arrows have denied.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “Whether the report is weak or hard, it is a good step forward in terms of governance.

“You can read it either way, but for us, there are the words that say ‘human error’ and the acknowledgement of that is very important.

“Going on about Abu Dhabi doesn’t make my life any easier. The trophy is in somebody else’s cabinet and the chapter is closed.”

98 days on from the Abu Dhabi debacle, the lights will go out on a new campaign in Bahrain on Sunday, with Hamilton a distant fifth on the grid.

The sport has undergone its biggest rule change in a generation, with the cars radically revised in a bid to provide closer racing.

And while Hamilton’s Mercedes team might have dominated in recent times, winning the past eight constructors’ championships, the grid for Sunday’s race confirmed their fears that they are behind both Ferrari and Red Bull in the pecking order.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start on pole ahead of world champion Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz third in the other Ferrari. Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez starts one place ahead of Hamilton in fourth.

Hamilton finished six tenths off the pace but believes his performance provides him with the hope that all is not lost.

He added: “On one side, I generally feel positive about today. We definitely didn’t expect to be fifth and so I am happy to be in there.

“The guys ahead are a lot quicker, six-tenths is a lot of time, but I do know there is potential and we have to work very, very fast over these next few weeks to close that gap as soon as we can.

“Realistically, we cannot compete with the guys in front of us. But we can fight the guys behind.

“However, we might have different strategies, and if our pace happens to be better than we anticipate then maybe we can just hold on to the guys ahead for a little while and give them a little bit of trouble, but we definitely will not be quicker than any of them. They are in another league.”