Ricciardo backs ‘harmless’ Budgie Nine

As Australia's 'Budgie Nine' walked free on Thursday, Daniel Ricciardo has called their antics at the Malaysian GP "pretty harmless."

In the wake of Ricciardo's victory at the Sepang circuit, the nine Australians were arrested for "intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace."

The charge relates to the nine men, known as the 'Budgie Nine', stripping down to swimming briefs emblazoned with the Malaysian flag while doing shoeys to celebrate the Red Bull driver's win.

The nine Aussies were in court on Thursday where they apologised for their antics and called it an "error of judgment."

Ricciardo, meanwhile, called it "pretty harmless."

"It sounds like they have learned their lesson and I don’t think they will be doing that again any time soon in Malaysia," he told the Herald Sun.

"I see it as pretty harmless.

"I respect the laws in Malaysia but beyond that I don’t think they deserve any further punishment."