‘So good to be back on track’, says Leclerc after karting run ahead of F1 return

Charles Leclerc has become the latest F1 driver to return to a racetrack following the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures, with the Ferrari driver spending a day karting in Italy as he prepares for Formula 1’s return in July.

Leclerc took to the South Garda Karting track – a staple of the European karting calendar, which rivals George Russell and Alex Albon also visited over the 2019-20 winter break – to spin some laps on Wednesday, with footage from the run livestreamed via Leclerc’s Twitch account.

“So good to be back on track!!” was the Monegasque’s simple message to his fans, while he also announced that he was planning to return to the circuit today (Thursday).

WATCH: Leclerc turns stunt driver as he blasts a Ferrari SF90 around Monaco for new film

It’s believed that Leclerc will also participate in a private Ferrari test in an older-spec car ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix season opener on July 3-5, in order to prepare him for F1 competition.

Leclerc’s rivals have been busy getting their eyes in too, however, with Lando Norris recently testing a Formula 3 car at Silverstone, while this week, Mercedes hosted their own private test at the Northamptonshire track as well, with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton driving a 2018 Mercedes W09.

READ MORE: ‘I'm ready!’ – Hamilton says he’s raring to go after Silverstone test run ahead of new season

Racing Point’s Lance Stroll is set to drive his 2020 RP20 next week, meanwhile, with the team set to use up one of their alloted filming days to allow Stroll to reacquaint himself with the new car ahead of F1’s arrival at the Red Bull Ring in July.