Court confirms Van Der Garde ruling, Sauber line-up uncertain
Following a ruling by the Victorian Supreme court on Wednesday, an appeal from Sauber that attempted to block Van Der Garde from claiming a Sauber race seat in 2015 has been rejected.
The appeals panel confirmed the ruling, commenting that "the appeal is dismissed because we see no error in the reasoning of the trial judge."
Indeed, Giedo Van Der Garde has a solid contract in hand, that secured him of a racing seat with Sauber for the 2015 season, partly thanks to the sponsorship money he could bring.
Still, the Swiss team, headed by lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn, opted to end that contract towards the end of 2014, subsequently signing Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson, two drivers who are known to have big sponsorship support.
It is no secret that Sauber was in a very difficult position towards the end of the 2014 season, but it appears that the situation now will make things worse, as the court was also ordered to pay Van Der Garde's legal costs.
With Sauber's Kaltenborn seemingly unwilling to let Van Der Garde drive the car at Melbourne, claiming it "unsafe", reporters at Victoria, Australia has said the Dutchman's legal team has how proceeded into a further court case to enforce the team to comply, risking it to see its cars and assets present at Australia being impounded by police or bailiffs. The hearing for that is scheduled at 10:30 local time, 2 hours before the first practice session at Albert Park, Melbourne.
Whatever the outcome this weekend, this seems to become an endless battle for the team, as dropping either of its current drivers is likely to result in further legal action, along with the risk of losing considerable sponsorship money.
