MARCH 18, 2002

The King and "Ai-i!"

THE King of Malaysia has a very long and complicated name and it is fortunate that no-one had to actually try to use it on Sunday when he was walking on the grid with a crowd of hangers-on in tow. If they had tried to say Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail it would have been too late to stop him being run over by Rubens Barrichello as the Brazilian hurtled towards his place on the pre-grid.

Fortunately the VIPs scrambled out of the way in the nick of time and someone had the foresight to heave the king out of the path of the Ferrari. Dignity was quickly restored although the king may have been cheering for the Williams team in the race after what was rather a fright for him and his court...

Barrichello ended his day riding back to the pits on the back of a rather bog-standard Modenas motor scooter being piloted by a marshal.