Aaliyah and her two siblings making their debut as spectators

KUALA Lumpur SEA Games triple gold medallist Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah and her two siblings – 11-year-old Aiden and nine-year-old Adam – will finally get to attend a Formula 1 race.

The three have been invited to watch the Petronas Malaysia Formula 1 Grand Prix qualifying round at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday as guests of Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn.

The trio accounted for the four-gold haul achieved by the national waterski team, with Adam achieving the record of being the youngest gold medallist for men’s tricks at the KL Games last month.

Interestingly, 14-year-old Aaliyah and her brothers have never been to a Formula 1 race before although their older half-brother Alex Yoong remains the only Malaysian to have raced in F1.

Alex drove for Minardi for two seasons in 2001 and 2002.

Naturally, Aaliyah and her brothers are excited about the trip to Sepang.

“I see Alex on the box every Formula 1 weekend commenting as a pundit for Fox Sports but I have never been to a race before,” said Aaliyah.

“Thanks to Ross Brawn, I’ll finally get this priceless opportunity to be there live.

“This is really cool as this weekend is also going to be the last Malaysian Formula 1 race ever.

“I am really excited to meet the Formula 1 stars!”