"I normally punch him or he punches me!"

Lando Norris will not be taking any special precautions to prevent catching the coronavirus, the 20-year-old has said, as he jokingly added he never shakes teammate Carlos Sainz's hand anyway.

With the Australian Grand Prix just nine days away, the F1 paddock is extra cautious regarding the rapidly spreading coronavirus, with travel restrictions in place for those coming from or having visited dangerous areas of the world.

Drivers are asked to not shake hands anymore, for example, but Norris joked he never did that in the first place with his teammate Sainz.

“I think I never shake hands with Carlos anyway,” the Brit told Reuters.

“I normally punch him or he punches me.”

Asked for any other precautions as the Formula 1 season gears up again, with one Grand Prix being postponed already and others in danger, Norris said he just keeps it simple.

“Not touching stuff everyone else does. Just normal stuff. No handshaking, more like elbow[ing] or air high-fiving.”

Entering his second year in F1, Norris remains the youngest driver on the grid while his team McLaren look to build on what was a very promising 2019. Another year of leading the midfield on the cards?