Sauber F1 Team 2015

[bill shoe]

Interesting case of rule-of-law vs power-brokers. Looks like it's shaping up to be the financial story of the week at Melbourne, even overshadowing the Manor revival which isn't easy. Actually, could also be related to the Manor revival.

I guess Sauber strategy is to prevent Swiss arbitration from being enforced in Australia. This would make it a fait acompli to start running with the two "current" drivers rather than GVDG. This would also likely force GVDG's hand into buying the second Manor seat, which weakens his hand on a practical level if not a legal level with Sauber.

And what does Manor do? Sign its second car to a driver contingent on GVDG getting his Sauber seat back? Or do a
Kaltenborn of their own and just sign lots of contracts now and worry about driver-count vs car-count later?

The two "current" Sauber drivers are issuing dueling press releases on the basis of which one signed their contract first, as opposed to any specific contract provision about what happens in the event that GVDG claims his seat back or what happens if there are more Sauber pay drivers than Sauber cars. This would have been an obvious provision to include in the two "current driver" contracts, but apparently all parties thought they were out-clevering everyone else by not including it.

Also, isn't the FIA supposed to have a driver-contracts recognition board to prevent this exact kind of silliness from happening? Did the FIA sell out the rights to enforce this in the same manner as they recently sold off their rights to make rules?

Delicious.

[Manoah2u]

you can only conclude 2 things from this:

1 Guido vd Garde is a d*ck
2 Guido vd Garde hereby immediately ends his F1 and Racing career forever.

What are they thinking, seriously?! to just step in and drive? does he think the team would enjoy him there? does he even magically believe in performing doing something? Furthermore, does he think he can count on respect and friendlyness in both the team but even more the grid and paddock? Who would want such a guy? Nobody, that's who. No F1 team will ever be interested in his services ever anymore after this 'betrayal' and act. The sacking of GVDG saved the sauber team, it saved 330 members of the team,

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11503069001 ... e-330-jobs

now butthurt guido comes in agressive and tries to ruin the team? what did he do for them? must be crazy, as he not only now has completely destroyed any chance in F1 [sauber is a gonner now but no team seriously would want his effort], but not only that, such behaviour will not be accepted or appreciated in any motorsport division. He kan kiss any prospect of F1, GP2, LMP, WEC goodbye now.

what a total tool.

[ME4ME]

Why putting the blame on VDG when he has a valid contract?

Sauber really shot themselves in the foot. Personally I think Kaltenborn isn't up for the job and should be replaced.

[R_Redding]

This is the cost of relying on "pay drivers" to finance the team with personal sponsorship ... Drivers will be constantly flipped for drivers with better sponsorship.

The article mentions that Sutil is also suing for compensation for his broken contracts.

[knabbel]

you can only conclude 2 things from this:

1 Guido vd Garde is a d*ck
2 Guido vd Garde hereby immediately ends his F1 and Racing career forever.

What are they thinking, seriously?! to just step in and drive? does he think the team would enjoy him there? does he even magically believe in performing doing something? Furthermore, does he think he can count on respect and friendlyness in both the team but even more the grid and paddock? Who would want such a guy? Nobody, that's who. No F1 team will ever be interested in his services ever anymore after this 'betrayal' and act. The sacking of GVDG saved the sauber team, it saved 330 members of the team,

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11503069001 ... e-330-jobs

now butthurt guido comes in agressive and tries to ruin the team? what did he do for them? must be crazy, as he not only now has completely destroyed any chance in F1 [sauber is a gonner now but no team seriously would want his effort], but not only that, such behaviour will not be accepted or appreciated in any motorsport division. He kan kiss any prospect of F1, GP2, LMP, WEC goodbye now.

what a total tool.

Giedo is not a dick, Kaltenborn is stubbon in this case, Sauber signed 4 drivers for 2 seats and they wanted to have their cake and eat it.

Ofcourse he won't drive but he stil has a contract according to that Swiss court. And a pay driver contract is more than the racecar seat. It is tickets and hospitality access for the sponsors and their clients. Giedo had a multi year plan with his sponsors and Sauber signed his 2015 contract at the beginning of the summer already. His sponsors are paying his salary for the last months and things like a personal trainer and so on. He just want financial compensation for that.

[Richard]

Neither of them are stupid. Kaltenborn is calculating that paying off van der Garde will cost less than the benefit of replacing him. As with any negotiation, she has started with giving her lowest offer, he has started off with demanding everything. The settlement will be somewhere between the two.

Going to court isn't helpful but it does allow van de Garde to show he'll not be a push over, so he'll be trying to stand firm without burning his bridges. It does sound like he has a good case so I can see why he is forcing the issue.

As for van de Garde's career, maybe he's worked out that there is low likelihood of an F1 seat so he has nothing to lose. So he'll squeeze out every penny he can be he leaves.

Negotiating with someone who has nothing to lose is a really worrying scenario. Sauber have a lot to lose, but VDG only wins a penny he'll stil lbe a penny better off than he is now.

[void]

Put him on Manor seat, and case closed!

[joseff]

Put him on Manor seat, and case closed!

Precisely the reason he's not yet announced as the 2nd Manor driver. He wants a Sauber payoff, THEN a Manor drive.

[Jonnycraig]

1 Guido vd Garde is a d*ck
2 Guido vd Garde hereby immediately ends his F1 and Racing career forever.

. His father-in-law is a billionaire and the McGregor brand is very active in Motorsport. He will be fine.

He actually sued Force India, won a huge payout, and still went on to be hired by another 2 F1 teams. But then you wouldn't know that.

He kan kiss any prospect of F1, GP2, LMP, WEC goodbye now.

He's 29. He knows full well that he won't get another F1 drive so he's going to court for to one. He can't race in GP2 again regardless and if he & McGregor want to compete in WEC, they can fund a GT Pro or even an LMP2 team for less than an F1 seat

Hell, for the cost of a Sauber seat, they could run a McGregor liveried Indycar at Penske or Andretti.

[Starscreamer]

Who is Guido???
I only know Giedo and he will drive!

He is allready in Melbourne with his helmet

[Manoah2u]

Who is Guido???
I only know Giedo and he will drive!
http://content.f1today.net/x/full/photo ... 572725.jpg
He is allready in Melbourne with his helmet

good for him, won't change a thing though, he'll never set foot in a sauber ever again. not in melbourne, not ever.
he'll be after $$ sure, there isn't even a seat measured for him, how anybody can think for a single moment he'll actually sit in that sauber and drive must be past-delusional.

[Jonnycraig]

dealing with a pure business disagreement issue which involves money and not threatening to go and step into a car that is not yours to step into is a whole different thing.

Sauber offered him a contract, which he signed. Long before they then signed Ericsson or Nasr. He has as much right to be driving for them as anyone.

he'll be after $$ sure, there isn't even a seat measured for him

, he has a seat made up from his test & FP drives. Even without one, it takes a few hours to knock a new seat up, so it's quite nuts that you think a seat would be the biggest issue here.

Sauber best hope that he doesn't want money, as they quite clearly haven't got it to give him, and a big judgment in VDG's favour could easily put them into administration.

But then, as speculated earlier, maybe that's what VDG & Bookhoern want..

[AnthonyG]

If Sauber signed him, than at least the board should be devided as to wether they like him or not, I mean he can't be 100% persona non grata?

[AnthonyG]

Someones head will roll for this, for sure, how stupid can you be to sign a driver and change your mind after thinking a contract doesn't have any meaning...

[turbof1]

Someones head will roll for this, for sure, how stupid can you be to sign a driver and change your mind after thinking a contract doesn't have any meaning...

Nothing stupid about per se. As always it's a matter of money. Caterham went broke, Ericsonn got back on the market with a big bag of money, but in the meanwhile vd Garde was already signed. Sauber just ditched vd Garde in order make way for the bag of mon... ehh driver!

Sauber very probably offered Giedo some compensation for breaking the contract. Giedo probably finds he deserves more. There are only things Giedo possibly want:

-He either wants Sauber to pay up more and all of this is only a tactic to make Sauber sweat.
-Or he really wants to drive for Sauber.

I can't seem to think Giedo is that stupid. First of all contracts can be broken, and when compensation is given, the contract does not have to be continued. Ergo, if sauber pays off the clauses in the contract, which surely will stipulate what Giedo can ask in the event of contract termination, Giedo will not have one single claim anymore on the seat.

Second, if we ignore the first point and assume for a second Giedo wins this, surely after a long exhausting and heavily expensive series of courts, and gets his seat, it'll mean the ousting of one of the current Sauber drivers. That Sauber driver will both stop paying the team AND will on his turn go to court to recuperate given capital. Giedo takes place in a team that totally does not want him nor will be very motivated to help him a lot, and will probably never even race due the team going broke before the next race.