Ex-F1 driver Eddie Irvine jailed for brawl

Rome: Ex-Formula One driver Eddie Irvine was on Thursday sentenced to six months in prison for brawling over a woman in an Italian nightclub.

The incident, for which Gabriele Moratti, the son of the then-Milan mayor, also received a six-month sentence, took place in December 2008, when the two men came to blows at the city’s Hollywood night spot, a court was told.

Irvine claimed Moratti struck him first, while the Italian alleged the former F1 driver had smashed a glass in his face.

However, Irvine will not serve any of his sentence as, in Italian law, all sentences under two years are automatically suspended.

Irvine retired in 2002 after 10 years as an F1 racer, including a four-year spell at Italian team Ferrari.