13/03/2015
NEWS STORY
Adjourning the case until tomorrow, the judge presiding over the Sauber case has urged both sides to talk to one another.
When the teams took to the track this morning, two were missing. Marussia due to a variety of technical issues and Sauber due to the ongoing legal action from Dutch driver Giedo Van der Garde.
Having lost its appeal yesterday, all eyes were on Sauber to see whether the team might relent and allow its former driver to participate. However, though clad in a pair of overalls he never actually entered the team's garage which remained shut throughout the opening session.
At the start of the second session, as rumours swirled around the paddock, Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson were first out, Van der Garde, having discarded his race overalls, now wandering the paddock.
Amidst talk of team boss Monisha Kaltenborn being imprisoned following Van der Garde's contempt of court action or even the team's assets being frozen, Supreme Court Justice Clyde Croft called for both sides to get together.
"I do wish the parties to talk seriously about resolving this matter by agreement," he said.
In response, Van der Garde's lawyer revealed that there have been "constructive discussions between the parties which are expected to continue this evening", however, outwardly neither side looks likely to give way.
Naturally, the case was top of the agenda at the team principals press conference that followed this morning's second session, Kaltenborn one of the six team bosses attending.
"It's a topic I cannot talk about," she replied when asked about the situation, a response Kaltenborn, herself a lawyer, was made to repeat time and time again.
Eventually she did admit that the situation has had a "a very negative impact on the team”, because “the situation was for a while unclear".
"We now have certain actions taken against the team, and we are acting accordingly," she added. "There's nothing much more I can really say to that."
Asked whether the situation, which is causing embarrassment not only to the team but to the sport, might mean her resigning her position, she said: "This whole matter doesn't have any effect on the way we work, the way the team works."
Opinion in the paddock is divided, and while many sympathise with Van der Garde it is the damage the case is doing to the sport that causes concern.
On the other hand, it has been made clear that this is a situation that was inevitable, what with the team having taken the Dutch racer's money last year. Indeed, many are wondering whether Adrian Sutil, who had a two year deal with the Swiss team, will follow suit and head to court.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.