Sainz offers "big hugs" to quarantined McLaren F1 crew in Australia

The Spaniard's McLaren team was at the centre of a coronavirus scare in Melbourne last weekend when a team member was found to have contracted it.

That prompted the outfit to withdraw from the race, before it was ultimately scrapped.

While 14 other members of the team were put into self isolation in Melbourne, Sainz has joined other personnel in returning home before locking themselves away.

Speaking on Tuesday, Sainz said on Twitter: "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 gonna leave this quarantine as soon as possible.

"And as soon as we're done, we will get back to business.

"And 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, you know, 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."

Commenting on his own self-isolation, Sainz said: "At the moment I feel perfectly fine, but as you are aware that doesn't necessarily mean that I am not infected or that I can't develop the symptoms going forward.

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"For the sake of everybody, it is very important to be responsible and follow the guidelines of the experts."

"It's been a busy few days trying to organise my life since then.

"Obviously, I'm a bit bored. I mean, 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."