Team sit out Practice One; Legal battle ongoing in Melbourne as summons issued to Sauber and team boss Kaltenborn; Van der Garde arrives in paddock on Friday but doesn't drive; Ericsson and Nasr run in Practice Two
Monday 16 March 2015 14:10, UK
Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn hasn't considered resigning as her embattled Sauber outfit sat out the entire first practice session at the Australian GP amid the escalation of their legal dispute with Giedo van der Garde.
The Swiss team’s build-up to the season-opening race has been completely overshadowed by the contractual row with their former reserve driver, who on Wednesday won a case in the local Supreme Court after a judge agreed with his claim that he had a contractual right to drive one of the team’s cars.
With Sauber’s appeal against the decision failing, Van der Garde’s lawyers brought a further case against the team on Friday, a Contempt of Court Application, with an Australian judge set to make a decision on whether the team’s equipment in the paddock should be seized by baliffs. Should Sauber not comply with the ruling, the driver's lawyers have also suggested team boss Monisha Kaltenborn serves time in prison.
Asked by Sky Sports News HQ whether Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, who both ran in Practice Two, would continue to drive for the team this weekend, Kaltenborn replied: “I cannot answer that. We are in a legally-relevant situation.”
With court proceedings ongoing into Friday, Van der Garde arrived at Albert Park ahead of practice of the season's opening practice sessions. After waiting outside the paddock gates for around 45 minutes while his pass was activated, the Dutchman entered the paddock and entered Sauber’s hospitality unit.
Wearing Ericsson’s overalls, Van der Garde then completed a seat fitting in Sauber’s garage. However, the superlicence he would need to drive this weekend has yet to be rubber-stamped.
Asked by Sky Sports News HQ if he would be in the C34 this weekend, Van der Garde replied: “I don't know. At the moment I can't comment on anything, we'll have to see later."
After neither car took to the track during the opening session of 2015, both Ericsson and Felipe Nasr took to the Albert Park track in P2, with Van der Garde on the sidelines. Ericsson's running came to an early end, though, due to a broken wishbone.
"That is a topic I can't say anything about," said Kaltenborn in the Team Principals' Press Confernece when quizzed on the ongoing situation.
When pressed on how the legal battle had impacted the Swiss squad, the Sauber boss was a little more forthcoming.
“It is definitely a very negative impact on the team because the situation for a while was unclear,” she said. “We now have certain actions taken against the team and we are acting accordingly. There is nothing much more I can say.”
Asked at what point her position would become untenable Kaltenborn replied: “I have not considered that.”
Kaltenborn also resfused to be drawn as to whether Sauber’s future was at stake due to the ongoing legal dispute: “We should not mix up the two things. We had a challenging situation last year and we are step by step going in the right direction. This is a separate issue.
“I would request people to be a bit careful before going and making assumptions without knowing the whole situation.”
