Red Bull’s motorsport head Helmut Marko suggested his Formula One and junior drivers should catch the coronavirus while racing is on hold so they would be protected from sickness later in the year.
The 76-year-old Austrian, a former Grand Prix racer who is now the energy drink company’s head of driver development, made the startling revelation in an interview on Sunday with broadcaster ORF.
Marko added that the idea had “not been well received” by Red Bull management.
He says: “We have four Formula One drivers and eight or 10 juniors.
“The idea was that we would organise a camp to mentally and physically bridge the dead time and that would be the ideal time for the infection to come.
“They are all strong young men in good health. That way they would be prepared whenever the action starts.”