11/03/2015
NEWS STORY
The Supreme Court of Victoria finds in favour of Dutch driver Giedo Van der Garde as he bids to secure Sauber seat for season opener.
The Dutchman had claimed that the Swiss team reneged on a deal to give him a race seat this season, and while Sauber has not offered the greatest defence in terms of his claim it has instead argued that not having driven the car, or even had a seat moulded to his shape, putting him in the car for the weekend constitutes a danger to Van der Garde and other drivers.
Having announced on Monday that he was deferring his ruling until today, this morning Justice Clyde Croft, revealed: "The application is successful and will be enforced".
The ruling upholds the decision of the Arbitration Institution in Switzerland, which ordered that Sauber should not take any action to prevent Van der Garde from driving for it.
Speaking to reporters following today's ruling, a delighted Van der Garde insisted he is fit and ready to drive.
"I'm very fit and very strong," he said. "I'm looking forward to going back to the team and we'll work hard to do our best for this weekend. I still have a very good relation with the team. I'm looking forward to racing this weekend."
The feeling was not mutual. In a brief statement, Sauber said:
After the application defended by Sauber on Monday, March 9, the outcome is unfortunately not as expected.
"We are disappointed with this decision and now need to take time to understand what it means and the impact it will have on the start of our season," said team boss Monisha Kaltenborn, herself a lawyer. "What we cannot do is jeopardise the safety of our team, or any other driver on the track, by having an unprepared driver in a car that has now been tailored to two other assigned drivers."
The Swiss team subsequently appealed the ruling, and a decision is expected on Thursday morning.
Sauber's nominated drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr both bring vital sponsorship to the Swiss team, consequently if either is forced to stand aside for Van der Garde this could cause its own problems.
In terms of safety, despite Sauber's plea that Van der Garde, not having driven the car, constitutes a danger to himself and other drivers, what about Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi at Manor, neither of whom has driven the car.