JJ Lehto sentenced to jail for speedboat crash

You'd think that a professional driver's skills would be universal. You'd also think that the rules regarding drinking and driving would apply the same to the water as they would to the road. But as it turns out neither is necessarily the case.

The point is driven home by the conviction in Finland of one JJ Lehto. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it belongs to an accomplished racing driver. Although Lehto only managed a single podium finish over the course of seven years in F1, he also raced in CART (today known as the IndyCar Series) and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice.

Back in June 2010, Lehto and a friend were traveling at apparently high velocity via speedboat through a canal in Finland when their boat struck a bridge support. JJ was injured, but his friend was killed. While Lehto's defense attorneys claimed he was not driving the boat at the time, the courts evidently felt otherwise.

Ruling that he was both speeding and operating the powerboat while intoxicated, the courts sentenced him to two years and four months in prison. Lehto's lawyer is appealing the ruling, but if the verdict sticks, Lehto will be one of the few former grand prix drivers in history to be put behind bars.