Williams reserve driver Adrian Sutil is suing former employer Sauber and his case received the backing of Zurich’s Supreme Court this week as the judge overseeing the case allowed it to proceed.
The German driver, who drove for Sauber in 2014, had a two-year contract with the Swiss outfit. However he was dumped in favour of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson after just one season, leading Sutil to take action against the team.
It comes after Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde also launched action after he too had a contract to race, but Sauber later reneged on the deal. He agreed a settlement with the team following months of legal wrangling which even included Sauber’s cars being temporarily impounded at the Australian Grand Prix.
Sutil’s personal case relates to his unpaid salary from 2014 of more than £2.5 million ($3.6m), whilst a separate case over his 2015 race seat is ongoing.
Sauber claim Sutil broke his contract and is therefore not entitled to payment because he underperformed in 2014, was critical of the team to the media and failed to help raise £28m ($40m) in sponsorship of which the team claim he promised. Sutil denies that.
The judge overseeing the action sided with Sutil on the matter and has allowed the case to continue.
