Sutil handed suspended sentence for assault case

German driver Adrian Sutil given suspended sentence for GBH after the Chinese Grand Prix.

Former Force India driver Adrian Sutil has being convicted of causing Grevious Bodily Harm and has being handed an eighteen month suspended sentence. The German was also given a €200,000 fine, with the Munich court reaching the verdict after a two-day trial.

Renault F1 executive Eric Lux suffered cuts during the incident, which was in a nightclub in Shanghai, in April 2011. The incident followed Lewis Hamilton's storming victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, where Sutil finished fifteenth. Lux remains in his post, after filing the compaint of physical assault and grevious bodily harm, after being struck with a champagne glass. The Renault team has since being renamed Lotus, with former world champion Kimi Raikkonen returning with them, as well as former Renault driver Romain Grosjean.

Sutil has since been replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for the following season, and it is unlikely he will be interested in the one vacant seat, the second HRT drive. Sutil fan Megan Frost stated "he was excellent last season, but its a shame he won't be in the sport next season." I ranked Sutil fifth in my top ten drivers of the season 2011, and it now appears he may become Ferrari's new reserve driver.

Sutil finished ninth in the World Championship last season, with forty two points, with a best finish of sixth, in Brazil and Germany. His best finish is fourth, in the 2009 Italian Grand Prix.