Dutch scientist: ''Then you play with people's lives''

Helmut Marko caused a stir on Sunday evening with a bizarre quote during the program of ORF: Sport am Sonntag. The Austrian had the plan to deliberately infect Max Verstappen and his colleagues with the coronavirus.

Many people were full of disbelief about the words of the top man of Red Bull Racing and could hardly believe it. However, it was still true. The Austrian had really said it himself and apparently didn't find it very crazy, although he did encounter a lot of internal resistance. The Dutch scientist, Douwe de Boer, took the advisor seriously.

"The coronavirus is more unpredictable than the flu, so if you do, you're just playing with people's lives. I understand Marko's thinking about making his riders immune, but it's not that easy with the coronavirus. Young and fit people can also die from this disease,'' says De Boer to De Limburger.

De Boer argues that it is totally irresponsible to deliberately infect your employees. ''It's a medical-ethical discussion in which, as the boss of a company, you should never put the health of your employees at risk'', concludes the scientist working at the Dutch University.