Chastened ‘Budgie Nine’ back in Sydney after F1 stunt

Nick Kelly (centre), a member of the Budgie Nine, talks to the media at Sydney International Airport in Sydney on October 7, 2016. -EPA

SYDNEY: Several of the nine Australian men who sparked outrage after stripping off at the Malaysian Grand Prix returned home Friday, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying they were lucky to escape without charge.

The men were celebrating Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula One win on Sunday when they stripped down to tight-fitting swimming briefs emblazoned with the Malaysian flag and drank beer from their shoes.