Red Bull Formula 1 motorsport advisor Helmut Marko says reports he had proposed sending the team’s drivers to a fitness camp with the aim of contracting coronavirus were m꧑isinterpreted.

Speaking in an interview with Austria’s television channel ORF, Marko suggested an idea of b🍨ringing his F1 drivers and juniors together to a training camp, which “would be the ideal time for the infection to come.”

Marko’s argume🔴nt was that he felt his drivers would be better off getting infected with COVID-19 now so they could fully recover and be immune from the disease by the time the season could restart later in the year.

Red Bull team principal played down Marko’s idea as a 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:“throwaway comment” and insisted it was neverꦜ tabled as a serious plan.

Marko has since moved to clarify his comments, adding that the subsequent reports werꦛe wi♚de of the mark.

“Of course that's not true,” Marko told 💫German publication AutoBild.

“It wasn't about deliberately infecting someone. That came across wrong in the interview because it was also cut togethe✅r.

“In Austria you are being overwhelmed by🐷 coronavirus media. Regardless of whether it's television, radio or newspapers: it's ♛all about the virus.

“Of course you have to be careful and try to get th🔴e pandemic under control as quickly as poss𒐪ible, but please with a sense of proportion.”

The 76-year-old believes ꦺhe may have already contracted coronavirus earlier this year after having flu-like symptoms before he travelled 🧜to the Australian Grand Prix.

“I'm sure the virus caught me in February,” he explained. “I had a ten-day cold with all the symptoms 📖associated wiꦕth the virus.

“When I flew to Melbourne for the planned Grand Prix, I felt better. On the return f🐈light I had to stop in Dubai. Conditions🌠 prevailed there, which you cannot imagine.

“Tens of thousands of people from differen꧂t nations scurried around in a confined space. But I was not infected against 𒀰any logic. Probably because I was already resistant.

“If people my age, the highest risk group at all, can survive the disease, it can be said💦 that young, well-trained athletes like our racing drivers should at least be less a🐓fraid of the consequences,” he added.

“That was the only reﷺason why we considered organizing the training camp despite the danger from Corona. Above all, it should distract the boys and keep them fit.

“But there was never any talk of 🐼deliberate in𝔍fection.”