14/12/2011
NEWS STORY
JJ Lehto, who contested 62 Grands Prix between 1989 and 1994, has been jailed following a boat accident which resulted in the death of a friend.
The Finn, who drove for Onyx, Scuderia Italia, Sauber and Benetton, achieving a best result of third (San Marino 1991), and went on to win the Le Mans 24-hour race twice with McLaren and Audi, was arrested following an accident in which his boat hit a bridge support pillar in Raasepori, southern Finland, in June 2010.
Though his passenger was killed in the accident, Lehto claimed it was he who had been driving the boat, a claim subsequently rubbished by official investigators who said the Finn was drunk and speeding.
Found guilty earlier today, Lehto (real name Jyrki Jarvilehto) was sentenced to 28 months. His lawyer subsequently told Finnish news agency STT that he would be appealing.