There has been a new development in the Adrian Sutil/Sauber dispute after Zurich’s cantonal court ruled that the German’s legal action against his former team was valid, according to several reports.
Both parties have been at loggerheads since Sauber hired Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr in late 2014. Sutil, who drove for the Swiss outfit that year, has repeatedly claimed he had a valid contract for the following season.
French-speaking publication La Tribune de Genève reports that the 33-year-old is now seeking compensation in the region of 3.5 million Swiss francs (£2.4m) from his former squad.
According to the article, Sauber refused to indemnify Sutil on the grounds that the ex-Force India racer performed poorly, publicly criticised the team and failed to bring the CHF40m (£27.8m) sponsorship he had promised. These arguments did not persuade the court, with the Hinwill-based outfit already having to pay Sutil’s CHF10,000 (£7,000) legal fees.
This means that for the second consecutive year, Sauber will have to deal with a high-profile legal struggle. Last season, former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde took the team to court just before the Australian Grand Prix for the same reason. Both parties eventually reached a settlement by mutual consent, which resulted in substantial compensation for the Dutchman.
Following his departure from Sauber, Sutil was officially appointed as Williams' official reserve driver.
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