Renault chief wants Sutil to face charges

(GETTY IMAGES)

Force India driver Adrian Sutil could face police questioning after allegations were made against him of physical assault and grievous bodily harm. Sutil was reported to have been involved in an incident with Eric Lux, the chief executive of Genii Capital, which owns the Renault GP Formula One team, after the Chinese Grand Prix on 17 April.

The 28-year-old German last week issued a statement in which he confirmed attending a party on the Sunday after the race where he "unintentionally injured another guest". In the statement, Sutil added: "I have unreservedly apologised for this. As this is a private matter, which has nothing to do with Formula One, I will make no further public comments on this subject."

Lux last night issued a statement through his lawyer confirming he would be seeking to press charges. The statement read: "In view of the recent events which occurred in Shanghai on 17 April, Mr Eric Lux has decided to file a criminal complaint against Mr Adrian Sutil for physical assault and grievous bodily harm. As soon as the complaint is registered, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and the team, Force India, will be notified."

Mark Smith finally started work as Lotus's new technical director yesterday and immediately set his sights on hauling the team up the grid. Smith agreed to join Lotus last June but had to wait for the final months of his contract with the Force India team to expire before he could take up the role. Smith, who has also worked for Jordan, Renault and Red Bull, arrived at the team's UK headquarters at Hingham, where he will work under chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne.