J J Lehto sentenced

[eagleash]

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/ ... m-finland/

No apologies for posting via Joe's blog..

[Londoner]

Sounds like quite a horrific accident. I'm surprised that JJ did survive that. If he had been drinking, then he shouldn't have been boating that night.

[eagleash]

Sounds like quite a horrific accident. I'm surprised that JJ did survive that. If he had been drinking, then he shouldn't have been boating that night.

From memory JJ was pretty badly injured. It's sad that he has ended up in this position (& tried to deny responsibility). Probably capable of better things in F!

[dr-baker]

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/a-sad-story-from-finland/

No apologies for posting via Joe's blog..

But, for the sake of harmony (Captain H.!), here's the Autosport link to the story...

[eagleash]

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/a-sad-story-from-finland/

No apologies for posting via Joe's blog..

But, for the sake of harmony (Captain H.!), here's the Autosport link to the story...

F1 Fanatic also posted shortly after JS. I don't like F1 Fanatic very much, but I promise not to go on about it.

[dr-baker]

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/a-sad-story-from-finland/

No apologies for posting via Joe's blog..

But, for the sake of harmony (Captain H.!), here's the Autosport link to the story...

F1 Fanatic also posted shortly after JS. I don't like F1 Fanatic very much, but I promise not to go on about it.

[DanielPT]

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/a-sad-story-from-finland/

No apologies for posting via Joe's blog..

But, for the sake of harmony (Captain H.!), here's the Autosport link to the story...

F1 Fanatic also posted shortly after JS. I don't like F1 Fanatic very much, but I promise not to go on about it.

What are your reasons behind that dislike? (I am just wondering if they are the same as mine. Oh, and sorry for trying to deviate you from not going on! )

[eagleash]

But, for the sake of harmony (Captain H.!), here's the Autosport link to the story...

F1 Fanatic also posted shortly after JS. I don't like F1 Fanatic very much, but I promise not to go on about it.

What are your reasons behind that dislike? (I am just wondering if they are the same as mine. Oh, and sorry for trying to deviate you from not going on! )

I find him (Collantine) dry, humourless & tedious.

[DanielPT]

F1 Fanatic also posted shortly after JS. I don't like F1 Fanatic very much, but I promise not to go on about it.

What are your reasons behind that dislike? (I am just wondering if they are the same as mine. Oh, and sorry for trying to deviate you from not going on! )

I find him (Collantine) dry, humourless & tedious.

Well, I cannot say they are the same as my reasons. I follow F1Fanatic for a couple of years now and I think he became a bit lost. I think he tries to do F1 journalism James Allen style but at the same time he tries to keep the whole thing like a fan blog. It looks as it is all intentional but in the end his site became some sort of a weird thing in F1 world, while at the same time developing a strong community of Hamilton fanatics (which, I admit, annoys me a bit). Besides, being a f1 fan like his readers, I cannot understand why he is almost as distasteful as Joe Saward in his replies. Oh well...

[eagleash]

What are your reasons behind that dislike? (I am just wondering if they are the same as mine. Oh, and sorry for trying to deviate you from not going on! )

I find him (Collantine) dry, humourless & tedious.

Well, I cannot say they are the same as my reasons. I follow F1Fanatic for a couple of years now and I think he became a bit lost. I think he tries to do F1 journalism James Allen style but at the same time he tries to keep the whole thing like a fan blog. It looks as it is all intentional but in the end his site became some sort of a weird thing in F1 world, while at the same time developing a strong community of Hamilton fanatics (which, I admit, annoys me a bit). Besides, being a f1 fan like his readers, I cannot understand why he is almost as distasteful as Joe Saward in his replies. Oh well...

Bloggers as a whole tend to be rather brusque in their responses to comments.....it must be remembered that they are frequently subjected to abusive remarks from those commenting & we only see those comments which have been approved/moderated. Collantine & Saward are by no means the only ones to be terse. Occasionally a blogger will publish comments received to demonstrate the level of abuse. Often completely unacceptable & no wonder they are frequently defensive in their own responses. This applies across the blogging spectrum not just in F1/sports writing.

[Captain Hammer]

Question: how many drivers have been arrested before, either before, during or after their careers?

Lehto has been sentenced for manslaughter, and Bertrand Gachot did time for assaulting a taxi driver with tear gas. They're the only two I can think of. But I know Tomas Enge lost the 2002 F3000 title when he tested positive to marijuana, and Adrian Sutil stands accused of glassing Eric Lux in a nightclub.

Are there any others who got in trouble with the law?

[TomWazzleshaw]

Tomas Scheckter was caught "soliciting" when he was Jaguar test driver

[tommykl]

I'm sure Innes Ireland had to be arrested for something.

[AdrianSutil]

Tomas Scheckter was caught "soliciting" when he was Jaguar test driver

Which completely ruined his promising formula 1 career. I always thought he was this close to a full-time drive.

Edit: wasn't James Hunt arrested for drunk and disorderly in a public place after his retirement from racing?

[eagleash]

I'm sure Innes Ireland had to be arrested for something.

Rolling a brand new 6.3 litre V8 Merc S class (predecessor) whilst on a demo run at Brands possibly?

Edit: wasn't James Hunt arrested for drunk and disorderly in a public place after his retirement from racing?

Seem to remember that he was but that no charges were brought as a result.

Team owners provide some interesting fare when it comes to criminal activities.

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00343.html

The article is a bit out of date now but is still of interest.

[dinizintheoven]

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00343.html
The article is a bit out of date now but is still of interest.

And a special mention to Onyx for having two nutcase owners that made it into the final list in a year and a half, as well as having both jailbird drivers on their books in 1989...

[Captain Hammer]

Was that Lehto? Or did Foitek or Johansson do something?

[Londoner]

Was that Lehto? Or did Foitek or Johansson do something?

They had Gachot driving for them for the first part of 1989. Not sure if Lehto was at Onyx at the same time that Gachot was driving though...

[Nessafox]

Was that Lehto? Or did Foitek or Johansson do something?

They had Gachot driving for them for the first part of 1989. Not sure if Lehto was at Onyx at the same time that Gachot was driving though...

nope, the one was replaced by the other

[tommykl]

Don't forget a jailbird team owner (J-PVR)

[Captain Hammer]

... Who?

[tommykl]

... Who?

Jean-Pierre van Rossem

[JJMonty]

Salo had a DUI before he got to F1 - think it was around 1990. Maybe that stopped him getting to F1 sooner?

[WeirdKerr]

Salo had a DUI before he got to F1 - think it was around 1990. Maybe that stopped him getting to F1 sooner?

IIRC these days that would prevent him getting a superlicence.....

[Captain Hammer]

No, but it would be enough to have his superlicence suspended.

[WeirdKerr]

No, but it would be enough to have his superlicence suspended.

yes a driver cannot apply for a competition licence if his road licecnce is suspended due to a ban although you don't actually need a road licence to get a cometition licence.... iirc

[Captain Hammer]

That, too.

I meant that after Lewis Hamilton was caught doing a burnout in Melbourne, Jean Todt brought in new regulations: any driver committing a serious traffic offence on civilian roads - particularly given the FIA's "Make Roads Safe" campaign, which Todt ran after leaving Ferrari - can have his superlicence suspended. So, if a driver is charged with driving under the influence of a controlled (or prohibited) substance or hooning or whatever, the FIA can effectively bench him for several races. I think it might be a maximum of three, depending on the severity of the offence, with possibilities for further suspensions in the event of a conviction (ie negligent driving occasioning death).

If these rules had been in force when Hamilton was caught by the police, then I doubt the FIA would have actually suspended his licence. The Victorian prosecutors went after Hamilton with an unusual fervor; they wanted to hammer home a conviction because he was a racing driver, and it would add fuel to the fire of their zero tolerance policy on dangerous and "anti-social" driving. I don't think the FIA would play ball and suspend Hamilton's licence just to give the Victorians something to smart about, even at the request of the prosecutor - they probably just would have given him a public reprimand at the next meeting of the FIA general assembly.

[JJMonty]

No, but it would be enough to have his superlicence suspended.

yes a driver cannot apply for a competition licence if his road licecnce is suspended due to a ban although you don't actually need a road licence to get a cometition licence.... iirc

Spot on, I do racing and the only thing that stopped me going down the same path as other boy racers was the fact that I knew I couldn't race if I lost my driving licence - seems like a good incentive

IIRC, if I lose my drivers licence, then my racing licence is suspended for 24 months minimum, possibly more depending on severity of road licence ban

[The Mountain Man]

Question: how many drivers have been arrested before, either before, during or after their careers?

Lehto has been sentenced for manslaughter, and Bertrand Gachot did time for assaulting a taxi driver with tear gas. They're the only two I can think of. But I know Tomas Enge lost the 2002 F3000 title when he tested positive to marijuana, and Adrian Sutil stands accused of glassing Eric Lux in a nightclub.

Are there any others who got in trouble with the law?

Andrea Sassetti got arrested at Spa in 1992... it doesn't get better (or worse) than that.

[Nessafox]

somewhat relevant, i've read on some newssites that Jos Verstappen deliberatly crashed into his ex-wifes car or something like that, i suppose i'll read more about it the next days.

[CoopsII]

somewhat relevant, i've read on some newssites that Jos Verstappen deliberatly crashed into his ex-wifes car or something like that, i suppose i'll read more about it the next days.

Not him too? Jeepers. Benetton in 1994 seriously messed up some people

[Captain Hammer]

Flavio Braitore was running the team at the time. I'm surprised more people haven't walked out of there with deep psychological issues.

[CoopsII]

Perhaps its guilt. There was alot of dodgy things going on with that team at the time, both proven and suspected. And later too in 1995, when the Ligier and Benetton cars, both teams had Briatore involvement, seemed a little too similar in design. The theory being that Ligier became an additional source of test data for the bigger team. That was also illegal in those days.

Dodgy fuelling system (too fast!), cars too low, copycat cars, drivers cheating on formation laps, illegal engine software.....aaaah those were the days.

And all that was long before Briatore & Co came up with Operation Piquet......

[DanielPT]

Cheating has been common in F1 for many years now. Even in the other day Bernie said (to Formula1.com) that the contests in late 70's/early 80's were more a race to see who cheated more. (He said Brabham, under his belt, cheated better than the others).

[RonDenisDeletraz]

Cheating has been common in F1 for many years now. Even in the other day Bernie said (to Formula1.com) that the contests in late 70's/early 80's were more a race to see who cheated more. (He said Brabham, under his belt, cheated better than the others).

Wow, I would have never thought Bernie would cheat.

[Aerospeed]

Bump

Just thought I'd post this: Lehto's been acquitted of his drunk-driving charges.

There isn't much more information than that, but from the looks of things, it sounds like good news.

[Nuppiz]

Bump

Just thought I'd post this: Lehto's been acquitted of his drunk-driving charges.

There isn't much more information than that, but from the looks of things, it sounds like good news.

The higher court didn't find the prosecution's evidence convincing enough, so two out of the three jury members voted in favor of acquitting him. The third one would've still kept the former ruling, but in Finnish court you just need the majority vote, not an unaninomous decision.