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1,358 views Jan 16, 2012

Force India driver Adrian Sutil

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This much is clear: following the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix, then-Force-India-driver Adrian Sutil was involved in an altercation with Lotus-Renault co-owner Eric Lux.

Lux required stitches to close a neck wound caused by a broken champagne glass, and proceeded to press assault charges against Sutil. In Lux’s somewhat dramatic recounting of the event, he states, “I realized in the elevator what had just happened and I thought to myself , “now you have three minutes to live.”

As Global Motorsport Media (subscription required) reports, Sutil’s take is a bit different. The German driver insists he was simply trying to dump a glass of champagne on Lux’s head, following a verbal altercation. Sutil isn’t saying how the glass got broken, or how Lux ended up needing medical treatment for his injuries.

The case goes to court in Germany later this month, and it’s likely that Lewis Hamilton, who was in the same room at the time of the incident, will be called as a witness. If reports are correct, the courts are likely to find that any injuries were unintentional, and not the result of a deliberate attack.

While Lux has fully recovered from his injuries, Sutil’s F1 driving career may be on life support. Sacked from Force India at the end of the 2011 season, Sutil has had no luck in finding a new F1 ride, although rumors have placed him with both Williams and Lotus-Renault.

Williams may be Sutil’s best hope for a full-time job in 2012, assuming he can bring more sponsor dollars to the table than Rubens Barrichello. When asked if Sutil was in consideration for a 2012 seat at Lotus-Renault, Lux’s response was a succinct, “That would be a joke, right?”

We’re guessing that Adrian Sutil isn’t laughing.