MAY 25, 2002

Mosley apologizes to Austrian Chancellor

THE international automobile federation president Max Mosley had written to Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel to apologize for any embarrassment caused to Schussel by the thousands of fans in the grandstands at the A1 Ring boo-ing Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello at the end of the recent Austrian GP. No politician likes to be seen on global television being whistled at by his own electorate and Mosley told the Reuters newsagency that he felt that he had to make a gesture because it "obviously was a disagreeable situation for him to be in."

Mosley said that he has no idea what the World Motor Sports Council will do when it meets at the end of June to discuss what happened in Austria.

"We can't say to them what they should or shouldn't do," Mosley said. "We just sit there with our rule book and try to deal with any infringements."