Van der Garde case reaches epilogue

As F1i stated yesterday, all claims have now been settled between Sauber and Giedo van der Garde who believed he had a valid contract to race with the Swiss team in 2015.

The Dutch driver issued a statement in which he expresses his regret at the outcome of the dispute, acknowledging the fact that his career in F1 is now most probably over.

"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 F1 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."

In his statement published on his Facebook page, van der Garde also dwelled on the subject of driver contracts and the necessity to protect and enforce in the future agreements between teams and drivers.

"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."

The Dutchman has now pinned his hopes on racing in the World Endurance Championship and at Le Mans in the near future, as well as in the German DTM series.

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