JANUARY 13, 2012

Sutil facing assault charges

Legal proceedings against Adrian Sutil over an alleged assault on Lotus co-owner Eric Lux have begun in the driver™s native Germany.

Legal proceedings against Adrian Sutil over an alleged assault on Lotus co-owner Eric Lux have begun in the driver™s native Germany. Lux had his neck injured in an incident said to involve a glass. It happened in a Shanghai nightclub last April, where a party was celebrating Lewis Hamilton™s victory. It is understood that Hamilton, a friend of Sutil, may be called as a witness.

Sutil™s manager, Manfred Zimmermann, expects that his client will be exonerated.

"We are convinced that the court will come to the conclusion that there was no intentional attack," he said. "We feel good. So the truth will come out."

There are reports that the prospect of Sutil landing the Williams seat alongside Pastor Maldonado for this season could depend on the outcome of the trial. The German has lost his Sahara Force India drive alongside Paul di Resta to countryman Nico Hulkenberg.