Having been congratulated by his engineer on the cool-down lap after taking the chequered flag in Melbourne , Bottas said: "To whom it may concern, f*** you."

The message was interpreted as echoing the frustration he felt in the face of criticism last season after he failed to win a race while teammate Lewis Hamilton won his fifth world championship,

Bottas insisted that the comment was made spontaneously, and that those it was aimed at will know who they are.

"It just came, I just wanted to send my best regards," he explained. "That's it. Honestly, I didn't think about it or plan it, it just came.

"Obviously there are many people who support you, and honestly I appreciate that a lot.

"There are always ups and downs, and you can really see the true support quite easily.

"And then t

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