Arrested Australian fans freed

The group of Australian fans arrested after the Malaysia Grand Prix for stripping down to swimwear decorated in the Malaysian flag to celebrate Daniel Ricciardo's win at the race have been freed.

The nine men, one of which is a government advisor, were originally detained while being investigated for "intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace" and public indecency.

However, after four days in detention, judge Harith Sham Mohamed Yasin of the Sepang Sessions Court let the men off with a warning, despite them pleading guilty to a public nuisance offence.

"Let this serve as a reminder to all of you to learn about our local cultures and customs," the judge is quoted by Reuters. "What is perfectly acceptable in your country is not necessarily acceptable in other countries."

Thomas Whitworth, 28, one of the men arrested, also read out a letter of apology penned by the group.

"We are remorseful of our actions on that day," it read. "We had no idea that our conduct would be deemed to be inappropriate, crass or even downright offensive to the citizens of this country," he said.