0:08 - Marko’s Plan to Infect his Drivers
1:06 - F1 Resumption Plan “Would Be a Challenge”
2:14 - Fast Feed

Marko’s Plan to Infect his Drivers

Drivers form a huge investment for F1 teams. Especially for Red Bull as they start investing in drivers from a young age as a part of their junior program.

As such, they would want to ensure that their drivers stay fit and strong. However, team advisor Helmut Marko revealed his somewhat sinister plans to ensure that his drivers were better prepared against the pandemic

''We have four F1 drivers and eight to ten juniors and the plan was to go to camp with the whole group. This will allow them to physically and mentally bridge the period, but they could also be infected. However, this would only be a good thing, because they are young and therefore only get stronger.’’

For obvious reasons, this wasn’t approved by the rest of the Red Bull brass.

"We discussed it first, but I can't say that it was received positively.”

He further revealed the more practical ways in which the Red Bull drivers are currently staying fit.

''The drivers have physiotherapy to keep them in shape, so when the season starts, which will be a tough season, the guys will be ready for it.’’


F1 Resumption Plan “Would Be a Challenge”

With all the cancellations and postponements, talk inevitably has turned towards conducting as many races as possible once racing resumes.

Many have quoted 15-18 races as the possible number as per the current timeline and even that would likely require races on every weekend for up to four weeks at a time

Alfa Romeo Racing team principal Frederic Vasseur spoke about the viability of holding a lot of races in a short period of time as has been suggested. He began by admitting that he too wants the maximum number of races possible:

"I am in favour of all decisions that help us have as many races as possible.”

"If, like two years ago, we want three races in a row, it might be wise to turn them into two-day events. It is certainly a challenge to have fifteen to eighteen races in six months.”

He also focused on what it will mean for the smaller teams

"That would be a challenge for all teams, but even more so for the smaller teams, because unlike a large team we don't have the opportunity to alternate mechanics. So we have to come up with something to reduce the workload for those mechanics"

"I think everyone is flexible about this. Everyone understands the situation and acknowledges that it is crucial that solutions are found.”


Fast Feed

- Haas driver Romain Grosjean feels that “social media plays an important role in supporting” everyone “to get through these difficult times"

- Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo surmised that everyone in F1 "played with fire" by trying to organize the Australian GP before ultimately cancelling it

- Formula 2 driver Mick Schumacher admits to being late to learn to "try to keep life in the tyre” for “as long as possible" as he previously considered the advice to conserve tyres as “irrelevant”

- Alpha Tauri driver Daniil Kvyat stated that "The facts speak for themselves” after choosing Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton as the strongest driver on the grid currently

- His team boss Franz Tost revealed that "During” the “last video conference between the team bosses, the FIA and Liberty Media” they “agreed to meet again in mid-April - depending on the situation - to discuss the new situation"

- Responding to some rumours circulating in the F1 world, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that “the story is not true” and that he is “not going to be the CEO of Aston Martin"

- McLaren driver Lando Norris was able to raise more than $12,000 for the World Health Organization but will have to shave his head now as he had promised to do so if he was able to get his fans to donate more than $10,000

- Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has suggested “that the performance of Sebastian have suffered very much with the arrival of Charles Leclerc” and that he should start to "look at other possibilities and that other possibility is McLaren”

- He also feels that the “best thing to do now is to change the championship and only let the top teams compete in the constructors' championship. The small teams will get a chassis and engine and can compete for 30 million a year''

- Fernando Alonso "will decide after the summer” on whether he will take part in the Dakar rally and Indy500 as well as finalising his plans for a return to F1

- Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed that he speaks to his drivers “daily” while opting not to comment on whether Sebastian Vettel has been offered a new contract