Finnish former F1 driver and double Le Mans winner JJ Lehto has been sentenced to two years and four months in jail for his involvement in a boating accident which killed a friend. The prosecution argued that Lehto was drunk at the time of the accident, which occurred in June 2010, when Lehto’s boat hit at a bridge support, while travelling well over the speed limit, in the middle of the night. Lehto denied being the driver, but the court argued that the victim’s injuries suggested that he had been the passenger and therefore that Lehto must have been driving.
Lehto is appealing the sentence.
joeblogsf1 
Sad news indeed Joe, for two families
Wow, that’s sad. I understand that Lehto’s lawyer intends to appeal, though.
It makes me wonder, Joe: do you have any clue as to which Grand Prix drivers have ever been sentenced to prison, and which has done time the longest?
Not right now, I am too busy to research that.
No problem. Might be interesting to get into in a dull moment.
Bertrand Gachot for one; far less than that though. But in terms of significance, it opened up the seat that Schumacher took.
A Mr B Gachot did a bit of porridge after his disagreement with a taxi driver in 1991. Gave a certain M Schumacher his chance for the Belgian Grand Prix.
F1 history might have been very different without that incident!
The one that springs to mind is Bertand Gachot (assault). Jos Verstappen was also convicted of assault but received a suspended sentence. Flavio Briatore (one time employer of Messrs Lehto and Verstappen) has a conviction for fraud but avoided doing time by fleeing to the Virgin Islands and was subsequently “pardoned” by a compliant Italian government.
I’ll probably not be the only one to say this, but Bertrand Gachot did 2 months in prison during the ’91 season for spraying a taxi driver with CS gas…
Off the top of my head, Bertrand Gachot had to serve time for macing a cab driver in London–notable because the first driver to fill his seat at Jordan was a 23 year old Michael Schumacher, in his first ever start!
Yes, it’s very sad, just like all stories involving people killed by irresponsible drunk drivers.
Very very sad all round.
Hopefully justice is being served. If JJ was the driver of the boat, IMO he deserves a longer sentence.
Didn’t Bertrand Gachot serve a prison sentence (which in turn enabled a certain Michael Schumacher his debut…)?
Bertrand Gachot…
I see a certain person crossing (if not: destroying) the F1 career of both men.
We’ve had a couple of drivers sent to prison here in the States. Randy Lanier, who drive in CART (placed 10th in the 1986 Indy race) and IMSA was convicted of importing 300 tons of marijuana. He fled the country but was captured and returned. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The whole team was involved in the operation and quite a few people went ot prison. Prosecutors estimated the drugs were worth $68 million – but they always inflate the value. Still, even if it was only worth $34 million, that’s a chunk of change; they were using a lot of the money to race.
John Paul Jr., who won the 1982 Sebring 12 hour race and raced in CART (he won the 1983 Michigan 500) was sent to prison for several years in 1986 for his involvement in drug smuggling and his refusal to testify against his father in the same case. He later raced in the IRL and won the Texas Speedway 500 in 1998.
They weren’t F1 drivers, but……….
We also had the Whittington brothers who raced in CART and IMSA and owned Road Atlanta in the states. They used to land small planes on the backstretch at night to fund their endeavors.
Not Buddy. the incredible guitarist? Nah! he is too big for a small plane.
Even Michael Bay (the idiot responsible for Transformers and other trash) would call the story behind the Whittington brothers smuggling operation and the fate of many of their jets to be beyond the scope of suspended-disbelief.
People and events directly connected to their operation and/or one of their planes (some if it only allegedly): CIA-Mob money laundering, one of the Bay of Pigs masterminds, 9/11 terrorist training plane and more.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103×317260
Does this have anything to do with F1?
Reblogged this on johnnyjohnsen.com and commented:
Don`t drink and drive !
Just to elaborate a bit, Lehto denies driving the boat and says he doesn’t remember the crash. He suggests he was lying down when the crash happened.
A psychiatrist was used as a witness and in his opinion Lehto’s memory loss isn’t credible. In addition to that, Lehto had an injury that suggests he hit the steering wheel and was indeed driving.
Didnt IMSA stand for International Marijuana Smuggling Association?
The interesting story could by about Ian Burgess. I am not sure but I think he has been the only Formula One driver in jail until now.
No, I don’t think so, I can think of a couple more who have done time.
Although not directly connected to F1, British Touring Car boss Vic Lee was imprisoned for 12 years for importing drugs into the UK using their race transporters.
And then got caught for exactly the same thing again 12 years later.
Why sad? If he did the crimeshould he not do the time.
You do not see that it is sad? I am not talking about what happened, I am talking about the effects of it all, on the lives of two people, and the people around them.