Marko wanted to create 'Corona camp' to infect Red Bull drivers
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko wanted to organise a 'Corona Camp' for his team's drivers so they would deliberately get infected with COVID-19.
The Austrian, who is known to have been outspoken in his views during his long tenure as advisor to Dietrich Mateschitz, believed that exposing his drivers to coronavirus now would help make them immune in the future when the racing season got going again.
Speaking in a video interview with Austrian television station ORF, Marko said: "We have four Formula 1 drivers, and eight or 10 juniors.
"The idea was to organise a camp where we could bridge this mentally and physically somewhat dead time. And that would be the ideal time for the infection to come.
"These are all strong young men in really good health. That way they would be prepared whenever the action starts. And you can be ready for what will probably be a very tough championship once it starts."
While Marko was convinced of the idea, he said his proposal did not go down well with other factions at Red Bull – so has been abandoned.
"Let's put it this way: it has not been well received", he said.
Marko said that rather than forcing his drivers to get ill and become immune, the focus is now on getting all them fit and focused during this down time.
"Max [Verstappen], for example, I think he drives more races than in a real season. He does sim racing and sometimes competes in several races per day," he said
"At the same time they all have their own physio, which they use for fitness exercises. That's ideal for working out now.
"If there is a racing season with 15 to 18 races, it will be very, very tough. There is no possibility to improve your fitness during the season. So it's actually ideal to use this time now."
Share Or Save This Story
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
F1’s long-term future could suit Max Verstappen – but will it come soon enough?
Red Bull faces "awkward" Gianpiero Lambiase dilemma ahead of McLaren move, says David Coulthard
Lambiase’s move to McLaren makes sense - but Red Bull faces another big hole to fill
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Why this quintessential late-1970s F1 car stands out in the history of the Tyrrell team
Martin Brundle opens up on the brutal moment he learned he had lost his F1 seat
Nurburgring 24h Qualifiers: Pit stop destroys Max Verstappen’s victory chances
Why this quintessential late-1970s F1 car stands out in the history of the Tyrrell team
The political shift that will determine F1's next engine formula
Is it now or never for Russell in hunt for F1 title?
The top 11 lost F1 victories after the flag
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments