Valtteri Bottas claims he had "no reason" to fear Mercedes would use team orders during the Australian Grand Prix.

Having started second, the Finn got a better launch than teammate Lewis Hamilton and was able to take the lead into the first corner.

But after playing a support role to the Briton last year, and with Ferrari suggesting they will prioritise Sebastian Vettel this season, Bottas was asked if the events of Sochi last year ever entered his mind.

“No, I didn’t think of that actually, and there would be no reason to think about that," he was quoted by Crash.net.

“We are all starting a new season with zero points, we are here to fight. Both me and Lewis will want to fight this season against each other and against everyone and we are still one team so no point in thinking about those kind of things.”

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Early pitstops for both Vettel and Hamilton took both drivers out of the equation anyway, allowing Bottas to win by 20 seconds in the end.

And even if there had been a call from Mercedes, whether the 29-year-old would have heeded it is another question after stating he'll be more selfish in 2019.

There was an example of that post-race too when he appeared to call out the doubters by saying "to whom it may concern, f**k you" over the radio returning to the pits.

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

"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 through the difficult times, there's the other part, which is a lot more negative. That's their weakness, so it's fine."