MILAN, Italy -- Italian Formula One driver Riccardo Patrese was found innocent Wednesday night of manslaughter charges in the death of Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson, who crashed at the start of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1978.
Also found innocent was Gianni Restilli, who was racing director of the event and was accused of contributing to the death by giving a premature start signal.
When the verdict was read, Patrese's mother burst into tears and ran to hug her son.
The prosecution had asked the court to sentence Patrese to eight months in jail and to find Restelli innocent.
Patrese and Restelli also were found innocent of charges of unintentional injury to Italian driver Vittorio Brambilla, who suffered injuries in the accident.
Patrese and Restelli were present in the Milan criminal court for the opening of the trial. But Britain's 1976 world champion James Hunt, now retired from racing, did not attend. Testimony given by Hunt in the pre-trial hearing was admitted in court and formed a major plank of the state prosecutor's case.
The multiple crash happened at the very outset of the race when drivers were jockeying for position after leaving the starting grid. Hunt's McLaren swerved to avoid Patrese's Arrows and hit Peterson's car, causing a crash that killed the 34-year-old Swede.
The prosecution case was that Patrese crossed a white line marking the lanes on the starting grid in an attempt to get round Hunt. Patrese cut in sharply in front of Hunt and forced him to swerve and collide with the rear of Peterson's car, the prosecution said.
Patrese, who denied he was to blame for the accident, told the court Wednesday:
'When the green light came on, I got away to a good start in the sixth row. In front of me was Hunt, who seemed to have been caught by surprise, or maybe just had a bad start.
'He was obstructing me, so I swerved to the right and crossed the white line. To slow up would have caused trouble to the drivers behind me. The most fluid solution was to pass Hunt on his right.
'I overtook him and when I was completely past him I noticed there was nobody on my left,' Patrese said. 'I got back into my lane carefully, without any problem.'
Armando Spataro, the deputy state prosecutor who investigated the case and is now acting as state prosecutor in the trial, read a statement Hunt made to him during the investigation.
'The collision between my car and Peterson's happened because I was squeezed over by Patrese who came in on my right,' Hunt said. 'The accident would not have happened if Patrese had not tried to squeeze in front of me.'
Hunt said that at the moment Patrese cut in front of him, the Italian's Arrows car was travelling slower than Hunt's McLaren.
Prosecution witness Arturo Merzario, a former Grand Prix driver who said he had a clear view of what happened, supported Hunt.
'It was Patrese's unexpected swerve that started the series of collisions,' Merzario said.
Brambilla, whose injuries formed part of the charges against Patrese, supported Patrese on the question of the right to leave the starting lanes.
'The white line is crossed when a driver wants to avoid bumping into another car, not to gain time, since it means covering more distance,' Brambilla told the court. 'It happens at every start of a race.'
Alberto Librizzi, a commissioner of the Italian Sports Racing Confederation (CSAI) also supported Patrese.
'Patrese's move was not brusque, but was done gently,' he said. 'Peterson slowed visibly, provoking the pile-up.'
The court was told that on the day of the crash Peterson was driving a backup car, because he had damaged his race car during unofficial practice on the morning of the race.
