Former Ferrari, Jordan and Jaguar driver, Eddie Irvine, has been handed a six-month jail sentence following an incident in 2008.

It is understood the incident took place in 2008, six years after Irvine quit F1 after a career spanning ten seasons during which he won four Grands Prix and finished runner-up in the 1999 world championship.

The Ulsterman allegedly got into a brawl with Gabriele Moratti, son of Letizia Moratti a former mayor of Milan, in the wake of a text message sent to the Italian's girlfriend, the two men subsequently suing each other.

Today, the pair were found guilty of "mutual injury" following the incident which took place in the VIP section of the Hollywood nightclub, though it is likely that both men will have their sentences suspended.

"Obviously it's easy for newspapers to say they fought because of jealousy over a woman, that they were two men who were rivals for her," Moratti's lawyer, Vincenzo Saponara told Reuters. "It's a nice story. But in reality that's not the case."

Known for his outspokenness and playboy lifestyle, Irvine, a former Formula Ford Festival winner, honed his (driving) skills in Japanese F3000 and Endurance Racing before making his F1 debut with Jordan in the final two races of 1993.

In 1994 he raced the full season with Jordan, though he picked up a one race ban - subsequently increased to three - for causing a major incident in the season opening Brazilian Grand Prix. That same year he finished runner up at Le Mans driving a Toyota.

Chris Balfe