Formula One test driver Giedo van der Garde has said that his dream of racing in the sport are almost certain to be over now after agreeing to mutually terminate his contract with Sauber F1.
The Dutchman has reached an out of court settlement with the Formula One team following a legal dispute ahead of the new season. The 29 year old issued a statement through his publicist saying that his contract with the team has been terminated by mutual consent. The response from the team stated that they are now fully concentrating on the next race in Malaysia a d they hoped that the matter with van der Garde is now fully closed.
The settlement between the two parties comes in the wake of an Australian court saying that van der Garde was right to claim his position as a driver and he had a valid contract with Sauber F1 before he was dismissed last season.
The Dutchman said that his dream has been taken away from him and his future as a driver in Formula One is as good as over now. He dropped the legal proceedings against the team last week in order to allow them to compete in the season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne with Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson driving for the team.
He added that he had a valid contract for the entire 2015 season and hence, some enforceable rights to it. Sauber F1 wrote an open letter to its fans where it said that they have no idea about his intentions and they are not aware about the reasons behind his approach as well.
The team risked its assets being frozen after hearing at the Victorian Supreme Court before the driver decided to drop his lawsuit against the team and allowing them to race.