Dispute in air as Van der Garde Demands Sauber seat in Melbourne

Formula 1 has quite a record of starting a new season with legal disputes flying around in the air and this season looks like no exception.

Giedo Van der Garde's legal bid to race for Sauber this season has moved to the Australian judicial system ahead of next week's opening race of the season in Melbourne.

The Dutch driver who was Sauber's reserve in 2014, recently won a court case in Switzerland which he says gives him the right to a race seat with them this weekend. However, Sauber say it was only a preliminary ruling and that they will fight the case at a hearing in Australia on Monday.

Van der Garde claims that Sauber exercised an option last June for him to race with them in 2015. Subsequently Sauber announced that Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson would be their race drivers this season.

Motor Racing - Formula One Testing - Day 2 - Jerez, Spain

Both Nasr and Ericsson are supported by significant substantial sponsorship funding and the availability of payments in advance to aid cash flow through the winter is said to have been a significant factor in the team's decision making on drivers for this season.

Reports also suggest that Adrian Sutil , who raced with Sauber last season, has also instigated legal action against the team having been promised a drive for 2015, though his claim is believed to be for compensation and he is not though to be pursuing a place in the team.

Motor Racing - Formula One Testing - Test Three - Day 2 - Barcelona, Spain

Not for the first time in the history, F1 finds itself embroiled in legal difficulties that could affect the on-track action and the opening round of the season is often seen as the perfect time to air a grievance.

Ten years ago Paul Stoddart lifted a court action against the FIA on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix season opener and had his Minardi cars hastily refettled to comply with the 2005 aerodynamic regulations after challenging the governing body's right to apply the rules.

The South African Grand Prix that kicked off the 1982 season almost didn't go ahead after most of the drivers locked themselves in a hotel in protest at a clause in their super licences that would have required them to commit to one team for at least three years.

Stories of equipment being impounded are legion over the years. The BAR team, which morphed by degrees into current world champions Mercedes, had their equipment impounded during day one of the French Grand Prix in 2003 over a contract dispute with a sponsor dating from five years previously.

In 1976 Swiss driver Loris Kessel arranged for RAM Racing's Brabham BT44s to be impounded during practice thus leaving Rolf Stommelen and Lella Lombardi without a drive. But where there's a will, there's a way and Stommelen took over the third BT45 of Bernie Ecclestone's factory Brabham squad to finish sixth on Sunday afternoon.