Sainz 'cannot wait' to return to racing

McLaren's Carlos Sainz states he “cannot wait” until he can go racing again amid the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spaniard is back in his home country and is in a voluntary quarantine following the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix last weekend.

On the eve of the race, McLaren confirmed that one of its team members had contracted the virus, forcing them to withdraw from the event.

MORE: McLaren confirms team member that contracted coronavirus is 'recovering well'

Hours later, the race was called off. There is no clear indication when the 2020 F1 season will start, with a May target set by F1 and the FIA.

Taking to Twitter to send a message, Sainz said: “I'm back home here in Spain, enjoying the quarantine since one of our team members tested positive for coronavirus back on Thursday. 

"It's been a busy few days trying to organise my life since then. Obviously, I'm a bit bored. I guess everyone who's doing this quarantine is a bit bored.

"But at the same time I am trying to do some sport, I'm trying to keep myself busy and do the kind of things that I would never do because of so much travelling."

A number of McLaren team members were forced to stay in Australia following the confirmed case within the team, with Sainz sending his best wishes to his colleagues in Melbourne.

"I just wanted to send a message to all the mechanics, people that stayed there in Australia, sending them some good vibes, sending them a lot of positivity, sending them a big hug, because I'm sure we're all going to leave this quarantine as soon as possible,” he said.

"And as soon as we're done, we will get back to business. As soon as this virus is over, we will go back racing. I cannot wait to be honest, I miss racing.

“I miss travelling around the world with my team. But in the end, this is something that will pass, something that we need to get over as soon as possible and for that, better stay home, better stay in quarantine and don't do much and keep ourselves busy."