van de Garde sueing Sauber
Discussion
btcc123 said:
In the next couple of weeks I am sure we will know whats happening but I think that Sauber will be around for another year and then its announced that the VW group had bought Sauber for a manufactures entry into F1.
Can't ever see VW actually committing to F1. They like to create some noise and do the whole "oh its not good enough for us" b
ks every year or so but I can't see them ever flashing the cash.I read somewhere that Peter Sauber turned up in Oz wear last year's team gear. I don't know if thats true, but it maybe signals that he's had to come in at a late stage and deal with the crisis that Kaltenborn has created. I wonder if she can continue and if not would VDG's father in law buy her share ? I understand she owns a third ? Peter may need to get more involved again but at least there would be some stable income for the team?
jamiebae said:
Apparently a deal has been done and Sauber will pay Van der Garde €15m to not drive for them!
Awaiting the announcement of new investment in the team in 3, 2, 1...
It seams during their negotations Monisha Kaltenborn said although you have a contract there is no way you will drive for Sauber.Awaiting the announcement of new investment in the team in 3, 2, 1...
GVDG had a choice carry on with the court cases which would mean that at the next race the teams cars and equiptment would be seized by the courts and Monisha Kaltenborn may go to jail for contempt of court.How long would the cars be seized and ultimately Sauber would go into administration and the two drivers would lose their drives and lose the combined $40 million they paid to drive.Also GVDG would lose his drive and the 8 million Euros he paid to the team.
I guess he used the threat of continued court action to get a good settlement from Sauber and if he got a payout of 15 million Euros that seams fair.
He says his Formula 1 career is probably over but maybe not as I am sure Manor would be interested in his money but perhaps he may not want to drive for them.
In my opinion he did the right thing by going to court to protect his contract and has done the honorable and probably only realistic option by eccepting the settlement.
I've gotta say on the back end of this I think GvdG has picked up some new fans that will support him in future categories. I'm quite impressed by his statement.
‘We have reached a settlement with Sauber and my driver contract with the team has been ended by mutual consent. As a passionate race driver, I feel sad and am very disappointed. I have worked very hard my entire career, ever since starting with go-karts at the age of eight, to live my dream and become a successful Formula One driver. I had hoped at last to be able to show what I am capable of, driving a car for a respected midfield team in the 2015 season. This dream has been taken away from me and I know that my future in Formula One is probably over.
I had a valid driver contract for the entire 2015 season and enforceable rights to it. I pushed very hard until last Saturday in Melbourne to get the drive that I was entitled to. This legal process started in 2014 and has taken a great deal of effort. It was never a last minute thing, but it only became public in the last week when we tried to force the team to accept the rulings of a succession of legal authorities and courts.
I am a race driver and all I want is to race. However, the team principal was adamant not to let me drive, notwithstanding my legal rights to do so and a series of rulings and court orders in my favour and despite my race driving abilities. I will never understand this. I could have persisted, but the team principal had taken a decision contrary to my contract that she would not work with me and this became painfully clear in the paddock in Melbourne. To push on against this determination might have brought down the team, it would most certainly have wrecked the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne because the team´s cars would have been seized by the court, it may have ruined the careers of two young drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. Possibly the team´s directors would even be taken into custody. I decided I did not want to live with that idea, even though it was only the team’s management that was responsible for the bizarre situation I found myself in.
I am very grateful to my fans and many friends in Formula One who have given me a lot of support during the last couple of months. This period has been very difficult for me especially since I could not talk to anybody about the pending proceedings. Last week, many drivers on the grid gave me their support and several of them did so openly in the media as well. The same goes for several leading figures in the paddock who include team bosses and reputable former Formula One drivers. I thank them as well.
My future in motorsport has not finished: on the contrary, I see this as a new beginning. I will sit down with my management in the coming weeks to discuss my future plans. I would love to take part in the WEC and the Le Mans 24 Hours in an LMP1 car. Former Formula One drivers do very well in this series. We also have our eye on other series such as the DTM in 2016 and beyond.
There has been a lot of speculation in the media over the past week, so I want to set out clearly that my sponsors paid the sponsorship fee related to the 2015 season in its entirety to Sauber in the first half of 2014. This was simply in good faith and to help the team deal with its cash problems at the time. Effectively, it was my sponsor’s advanced payments that helped the team survive in 2014.
Sauber’s financial decision-making in this case is bizarre and makes no sense to me. I am not at liberty to discuss details, but Sauber paid significant compensation to avoid honouring the contract they had with me. Only in that respect can I be satisfied that my rights have finally been recognised and that at least some justice has been done.
I want to thank McGregor for sponsoring me from the time I won the Formula Renault 3.5 Ltr. Series in 2008. I hope we can continue to build on this as my motorsport career goes forward in other series.
I want to thank my family, my father Gerrit and my wife Denise in particular, for their tireless support throughout the years that I have been chasing my Formula One dream. The last couple of months have been especially hard for me but they have always stood by me. Of course, I also want to thank my father-in-law, Marcel Boekhoorn, who has been a great supporter during my entire career through the motorsport ranks. Without him, I would not have got this far.
I also thank Jeroen Schothorst and Jan Paul ten Hoopen for managing my career and business affairs since 2008 and in particular for their unconditional support during these last four and a half months. I also extend thanks to my legal advisor Gijs Rooijens and the law firms, Druces, Blackstone Chambers and King & Wood Mallesons (Australia), that worked very hard and enthusiastically – sometimes literally day and night and during weekends – to fight for my rights.
Finally, I would like to direct a few words to the teams, drivers, future drivers, their managers and the Formula One governing bodies. I sincerely hope that what has happened to me will start a movement aimed at setting new standards and bringing about new regulations to help protect the rights of drivers. I would like to think that the values and business ethics that apply in any other business should be equally applicable in Formula One. I am lucky to have had Marcel and Jeroen on my side. Both of them have extensive backgrounds in business and bring a lot of expertise to the table when it comes to resolving complicated business affairs. Without them, I would have remained empty-handed in the wake of this extraordinary affair. There are numerous examples of talented drivers with good intentions but without the sort of professional support that I have had, who have been broken by Formula One and who have seen their careers destroyed. I therefore hope that my unprecedented case which was heard last week by the Supreme Court of Victoria at Melbourne will serve as an example to illustrate what should change, and that new regulations will be implemented to help protect driver rights.’
‘We have reached a settlement with Sauber and my driver contract with the team has been ended by mutual consent. As a passionate race driver, I feel sad and am very disappointed. I have worked very hard my entire career, ever since starting with go-karts at the age of eight, to live my dream and become a successful Formula One driver. I had hoped at last to be able to show what I am capable of, driving a car for a respected midfield team in the 2015 season. This dream has been taken away from me and I know that my future in Formula One is probably over.
I had a valid driver contract for the entire 2015 season and enforceable rights to it. I pushed very hard until last Saturday in Melbourne to get the drive that I was entitled to. This legal process started in 2014 and has taken a great deal of effort. It was never a last minute thing, but it only became public in the last week when we tried to force the team to accept the rulings of a succession of legal authorities and courts.
I am a race driver and all I want is to race. However, the team principal was adamant not to let me drive, notwithstanding my legal rights to do so and a series of rulings and court orders in my favour and despite my race driving abilities. I will never understand this. I could have persisted, but the team principal had taken a decision contrary to my contract that she would not work with me and this became painfully clear in the paddock in Melbourne. To push on against this determination might have brought down the team, it would most certainly have wrecked the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne because the team´s cars would have been seized by the court, it may have ruined the careers of two young drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. Possibly the team´s directors would even be taken into custody. I decided I did not want to live with that idea, even though it was only the team’s management that was responsible for the bizarre situation I found myself in.
I am very grateful to my fans and many friends in Formula One who have given me a lot of support during the last couple of months. This period has been very difficult for me especially since I could not talk to anybody about the pending proceedings. Last week, many drivers on the grid gave me their support and several of them did so openly in the media as well. The same goes for several leading figures in the paddock who include team bosses and reputable former Formula One drivers. I thank them as well.
My future in motorsport has not finished: on the contrary, I see this as a new beginning. I will sit down with my management in the coming weeks to discuss my future plans. I would love to take part in the WEC and the Le Mans 24 Hours in an LMP1 car. Former Formula One drivers do very well in this series. We also have our eye on other series such as the DTM in 2016 and beyond.
There has been a lot of speculation in the media over the past week, so I want to set out clearly that my sponsors paid the sponsorship fee related to the 2015 season in its entirety to Sauber in the first half of 2014. This was simply in good faith and to help the team deal with its cash problems at the time. Effectively, it was my sponsor’s advanced payments that helped the team survive in 2014.
Sauber’s financial decision-making in this case is bizarre and makes no sense to me. I am not at liberty to discuss details, but Sauber paid significant compensation to avoid honouring the contract they had with me. Only in that respect can I be satisfied that my rights have finally been recognised and that at least some justice has been done.
I want to thank McGregor for sponsoring me from the time I won the Formula Renault 3.5 Ltr. Series in 2008. I hope we can continue to build on this as my motorsport career goes forward in other series.
I want to thank my family, my father Gerrit and my wife Denise in particular, for their tireless support throughout the years that I have been chasing my Formula One dream. The last couple of months have been especially hard for me but they have always stood by me. Of course, I also want to thank my father-in-law, Marcel Boekhoorn, who has been a great supporter during my entire career through the motorsport ranks. Without him, I would not have got this far.
I also thank Jeroen Schothorst and Jan Paul ten Hoopen for managing my career and business affairs since 2008 and in particular for their unconditional support during these last four and a half months. I also extend thanks to my legal advisor Gijs Rooijens and the law firms, Druces, Blackstone Chambers and King & Wood Mallesons (Australia), that worked very hard and enthusiastically – sometimes literally day and night and during weekends – to fight for my rights.
Finally, I would like to direct a few words to the teams, drivers, future drivers, their managers and the Formula One governing bodies. I sincerely hope that what has happened to me will start a movement aimed at setting new standards and bringing about new regulations to help protect the rights of drivers. I would like to think that the values and business ethics that apply in any other business should be equally applicable in Formula One. I am lucky to have had Marcel and Jeroen on my side. Both of them have extensive backgrounds in business and bring a lot of expertise to the table when it comes to resolving complicated business affairs. Without them, I would have remained empty-handed in the wake of this extraordinary affair. There are numerous examples of talented drivers with good intentions but without the sort of professional support that I have had, who have been broken by Formula One and who have seen their careers destroyed. I therefore hope that my unprecedented case which was heard last week by the Supreme Court of Victoria at Melbourne will serve as an example to illustrate what should change, and that new regulations will be implemented to help protect driver rights.’
Smollet said:
Whatever the outcome was I don't rate him as a particular talent. Plenty of others out there with more ability but less money.
That's not really the point though. This is about Sauber's dirty dealings and downright deceitfullness.They entered into a contract in good faith and accepted money but did not honour their side of the deal. You could almost argue that they had stolen the money, as they seemed to have no willingness to repay the debt or meet their contractural obligations.
Van De Garde in my eyes, comes out of this without a stain on his character and I certainly have a new respect for him. Yes he is a pay driver and not a top line F1 driver by any stretch of the imagination, but he's come across as moral, which in F1 at the moment seems to be a rare commodity.
As for Sauber and particularly Kaltenborn, I always had a lot respect for them and wished them well. That respect is gone. It's especially obvious that they haven't put out a rebuttal of VDeG's statement.
A poor show.
Edited by IforB on Wednesday 18th March 13:04
Kaltenborn realised that VDG, being a decent guy, when faced with the choice of enforcing his contract and bringing the whole thing crashing down with the loss of hundreds of jobs, or agreeing a financial settlement, had no realistic alternative but to do the latter.
She deserves to be sacked for creating this fiasco, I hope she is sacked, and I hope she never works in motorsport again.
She deserves to be sacked for creating this fiasco, I hope she is sacked, and I hope she never works in motorsport again.
What could Sauber really say in reply to GVDGs statement.They are not going to admit what really happened:
I am Monisha Kaltenborn the team principal and a well respected lawyer and I admit I signed three drivers for the 2015 season but forgot we had only two cars.
Sauber and GVDG signed a water tight agreement for him to our race driver for the 2015 season and as we were in financial difficulty at the time his sponsors agreed to give us an advance payment if 8,000 Euros.
Then during the end of the season we had two other drivers that said their sponsors would pay a conbined total of $40 million to race for us in 2015.Then we thought what about GVDG we had a contract with him but thought f**k him and lets not honour his contract and keep his money.
We informed GVDG that we have torn up his contract and to go away so we were very surprised he went to the Swiss arbitration service and took us to court in Australia.
Unfortunately we have reached a settlement with GVDG as there was a small possibility that his contract was a little bit legal and he treatened to carry on his court action.This is really unfair as what have we done wrong after all this is Formula 1.
I will end saying that I am a respected lawyer and do everything by the book and treat all Sauber employees as I would like to be treated myself.
I am Monisha Kaltenborn the team principal and a well respected lawyer and I admit I signed three drivers for the 2015 season but forgot we had only two cars.
Sauber and GVDG signed a water tight agreement for him to our race driver for the 2015 season and as we were in financial difficulty at the time his sponsors agreed to give us an advance payment if 8,000 Euros.
Then during the end of the season we had two other drivers that said their sponsors would pay a conbined total of $40 million to race for us in 2015.Then we thought what about GVDG we had a contract with him but thought f**k him and lets not honour his contract and keep his money.
We informed GVDG that we have torn up his contract and to go away so we were very surprised he went to the Swiss arbitration service and took us to court in Australia.
Unfortunately we have reached a settlement with GVDG as there was a small possibility that his contract was a little bit legal and he treatened to carry on his court action.This is really unfair as what have we done wrong after all this is Formula 1.
I will end saying that I am a respected lawyer and do everything by the book and treat all Sauber employees as I would like to be treated myself.
Edited by btcc123 on Wednesday 18th March 16:37
They'd like to encourage people to form their own opinions. I don't think that is a problem, the problem is the opinions that I'd say 99% of people will form, do not paint Sauber management in a good light. Nor indeed do I feel that future drivers/sponsors will be falling over themselves to sign up with them...
F1 team principal in lack of principles shocker.
People appear to have forgotten the nickname of F1. The Piranha Club.
Why the sudden indignation toward an individual who is probably guilty of transgressions far meeker than many of her predecessors? All very strange.
None of this is particularly edifying, but given the financial structure of F1 it's hardly surprising.
Meanwhile CVC continue to count their billions.
People appear to have forgotten the nickname of F1. The Piranha Club.
Why the sudden indignation toward an individual who is probably guilty of transgressions far meeker than many of her predecessors? All very strange.
None of this is particularly edifying, but given the financial structure of F1 it's hardly surprising.
Meanwhile CVC continue to count their billions.
I believe that last year the Swiss arbitration board have confirmed that Sutil has a valid contract with Sauber and informed them that he should drive in 2015.
Apparently GVDG and Sutil were discussing this just before Christmas,spun a coin and GVDG won first go.
I wonder if Sutil has booked the Malaysian court yet.
Apparently GVDG and Sutil were discussing this just before Christmas,spun a coin and GVDG won first go.
I wonder if Sutil has booked the Malaysian court yet.
Edited by btcc123 on Wednesday 18th March 16:58
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