Michael Schumacher's reputation was not the only thing to take a dive at this year's Monaco Grand Prix.

Photo: Fred Buyle

Days before the chequered flag was brought out to mark Fernando Alonso's win, it took a bigger drop - out in Monaco Bay.

The flag was submerged to 50m in the robotic hand of a COMEX submarine carrying a particularly notable VIP, Prince Albert II of Monaco. The sub manoeuvred close to a wire cable - down which four-time freediving champion Pierre Frolla miraculously appeared like Superman on a sled.

Watched by an entertained Prince Albert from the sub's bubble cockpit, Frolla retrieved the flag and resurfaced with it. Over the next few days the flag was signed by the Prince and celebrities including the GP's podium drivers Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard.

The flag frolics were in aid of a charity close to Prince Albert's heart. In October the now valuable item will be auctioned at an event in aid of the Association Mondiale des Amis de L'Enfance (AMADE).

The global children's protection charity was founded in 1963 by Albert's mother, the late Princess Grace of Monaco.

News Index Page