The Monaco Grand Prix will be remembered for its red mist as well as its red flags. But as Lewis Hamilton waited to see if he faced further punishment from the FIA following his outspoken comments after the race, he explained how his frustrations had got the better of him.

He was penalised in qualifying on Saturday, and immediately after being pulled up twice more in the race itself, following incidents with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado, the angry driver said: "Out of six races, I've been to the stewards five times. It's a joke. It's an absolute frickin' joke. It's just ridiculous. These drivers are absolutely frickin' ridiculous. Just stupid." He added: "Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says. I don't know."

Later, a calmer Hamilton claimed the race reference had all been a joke and said: "I made [the stewards] aware that when emotions are high, and it's very intense at the end of those kind of races, you don't always say the right thing."

Now the driver has gone to some lengths to explain why he did lose his temper at the world's most famous Grand Prix. "I felt I did everything perfect in the buildup but a lot of things got in the way. I got in my car on Saturday and the steering wheel was not set right. In qualifying I lost the time I did [for missing a chicane], then I got stuck behind certain individuals and had to really try to do the safest overtaking manoeuvres.

"I did feel that some drivers did not really leave me much space and received penalties for those. This is motorsport and we are supposed to see racing and not many people overtake in Monaco and I tried to do that.

"Unfortunately, collisions caused me to have some penalties. Then I got hit and my rear wing was hanging off and I was asked to come in and retire, and I refused. Then the red flag came out and I am lucky I did not retire as I managed to get a couple of points or it would have been even more damaging to my championship. The first pit-stop I was asked to pit and no one was there. So all the tension just boiled up.

"I had prepared myself the best this weekend, I was the fastest and I could have won the Grand Prix happily."

Monaco was the circuit where his hero, Ayrton Senna, dominated like no other driver. The Brazilian won here six times and Hamilton said that Senna's legacy had given him an even greater desire to win here. "Definitely. The passion is just even greater than elsewhere. In my heart of hearts I believe I can own this circuit. I feel like I can be the fastest here. I was [in qualifying] and not with the fastest car. It didn't work out this weekend. I've got at least another 10 opportunities here in future, and I will always be fast."

Hamilton said that he was not about to change his driving style. "In all honesty I will never stop racing the way I do. It's the way I do it. That's what got me here, it is the way I am. I don't do it to offend people or to hurt anyone. I do it because I love racing.

"I feel I can do it better than others. If it ever comes to a stage where I had to just cruise around and drive for fourth or fifth place it would not excite me and I wouldn't stay around for that. I am here to race and win. If I have to lose that passion I would blow all the racing."

Hamilton and the McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, are both confident that there will be no further action taken after the stewards accepted the driver's explanation for his comments. However, neither Hamilton nor Whitmarsh – nor the stewards, for that matter – can speak on behalf of the FIA. On Monday Hamilton came under fire from another British world champion, Sir Jackie Stewart. The three‑times title-holder told Autosport: "I think both [Hamilton's race incidents] were questionable – and he was lucky to get off without any front wing damage in the final incident.

"You make your own luck and you create your own situations. You also have to listen to the stewards. When you are a driver, you don't see if from the other side. They get all the angles. They get the videos, and they can sit up there and get all the replays. So they analyse it even better than the man in the cockpit."