Lance Stroll hits the track in Racing Point's 2020 challenger ahead of Austrian GP

Preparations for the start of the revised 2020 season continued today when Lance Stroll got back behind the wheel of his Racing Point RP20 for the first time since winter testing.

Given the cars and drivers have not been on track since testing in Barcelona back in February, several teams have decided to run private test days to help get their race personnel and drivers back up to speed before the season begins with the Austrian Grand Prix next month.

Last week Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both drove the 2018 Mercedes at Silverstone, and Ferrari have a similar test planned for their drivers Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel before racing resumes.

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

And today, Stroll was back on track driving the new Racing Point car on the National Circuit layout at Silverstone, across the road from the team's factory.

Racing Point are the first team to run their 2020 car since winter testing, and are using one of their “promotional event” days to do so.

Teams are allocated two of those each season so they can collect imagery and video footage which they, their partners and the media can use during the year. The team are limited to 100km on the day and must use demonstration-spec tyres.

The test allowed Racing Point to run through new protocols which will be in place in Austria following the coronavirus pandemic, while also offering Stroll the opportunity to sharpen his skills ahead of F1’s racing return.

Meanwhile, Renault's Daniel Ricciardo completed 115 laps of the Red Bull Ring in their 2018 car on Tuesday, with team mate Esteban Ocon set to take over driving duties on Wednesday.

TECH INSIGHT: How much will the cars have changed since testing when they arrive in Austria?