Sauber F1 team once signed 3 drivers for its 2 race seats

The Sauber F1 team refused to race Giedo van der Garde despite having signed a contract the previous year.

Sauber F1 team once signed 3 drivers for its 2 race seats

Marcus Ericsson, Giedo van der Garde, and Felipe Nasr

The Sauber F1 team has raced in the sport for almost three decades. The Swiss team embarked on the journey to win at the pinnacle of motorsport in 1993. Over the years, Sauber has gone through a roller coaster journey. So much so, that the team was once the works team for BMW but only a few years later struggled to sustain its business. Surprisingly, Sauber once signed three drivers for its two F1 seats.

The Sauber F1 team relied on pay drivers and sponsorships to stay afloat for many years after BMW’s F1 exit. Subsequently, for the 2015 season, the Swiss outfit signed Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. both Ericsson and Nasr brought in funds to facilitate Sauber’s F1 ambitions. Notably, Felipe Nasr had the support of the banking giant, Banco do Brasil. However, the paddock was surprised when Giedo van der Garde claimed to be driving for Sauber as well.

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Giedo van der Garde showed up to the 2015 Australian Grand Prix weekend wearing the Sauber F1 team‘s driver overalls. The Dutchman was Sauber’s reserve driver in 2014. Subsequently, Giedo alleged that his sponsors had paid Sauber for his race seat for 2015 at the team. Hence, van der Garde launched legal action against the team in a bid to secure his race seat. The Supreme Court of Victoria permitted Giedo van der Garde to drive for Sauber.

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The Sauber F1 team reached a settlement with Giedo van der Garde

Things only cooled down after Sauber’s settlement with Giedo

However, the team claimed that the C34 chassis were tailored for Ericsson and Nasr. Consequently, Sauber F1 did not want to compromise safety by letting another driver race the C34. However, in a bid to not violate the orders of the court, the Sauber F1 team was forced to sit out of the entire Friday running. Only after intervention by then-F1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone did things proceed further.

On Saturday, Giedo van der Garde announced that he won’t take part in the Australian Grand Prix. This allowed the Sauber F1 team to race Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr at the event. Sauber scored 14 points in the race. Although, finally, Sauber and Giedo came to a settlement after the court upheld the contract. The Dutchman ended his efforts to get the racing seat after being given a hefty sum to sit out the season. However, the exact figure is not known.

Thus, this remains an embarrassing incident for the Sauber F1 team. Sauber tried to gain a few extra millions of dollars but failed publicly in a miserable fashion. Giedo himself stated his surprise at receiving a settlement from the Swiss team at a time when it was facing financial difficulties. Nonetheless, this will stay as a lesson for any team for years to come, never mix up driver contracts for funds.

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