Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn was able to leave Melbourne with a smile , happy to see the end of what she described as one of the worst weeks of her career . The first five and a half days from last Monday were overshadowed by a legal battle in the Supreme Court of Victoria with former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde and his claim on a full-time race-seat for this season . That was eventually resolved on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix , although further talks are planned this week - in a private arena away from the courtroom - between both sides in a bid to finally close the matter . Monisha Kaltenborn was happy to end a tough week with a smile on her face at the Australian Grand Prix . Sauber have been embroiled in a legal battle with their former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde ( centre ) Once Sauber and Kaltenborn were again able to concentrate on the racing , drivers Marcus Ericsson and rookie Felipe Nasr acquitted themselves well . Nasr was a superb fifth - the highest position by a Brazilian driver on debut - while Ericsson 's eighth-place finish was the best result by a Swede since Stefan Johansson in the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix . When you consider Sauber endured the worst season in their history last year when they failed to score a point , their feats around Melbourne 's Albert Park were all the more remarkable . 'It was a very nice ending to the weekend , ' Kaltenborn said . 'The events of last week were not easy for the entire team . You can try to keep things away from them , but they are exposed to it . You just do n't know how to shield it from them . On the track , Felipe Nasr finished fifth - the highest a Brazilian driver has ever finished on his debut . Kaltenborn ( left ) looks dejected as she attends a press conference of team principals in Melbourne last week . 'But it was impressive how the team continued to do their work , to remain focused and to bring home the kind of result we saw . 'For me personally , last week was probably one of my toughest in my time at Sauber , and I do n't want to experience it again . ' I 'm very glad it 's over - all the more glad with the outcome ( of the race ) - and we focus now on the future . ' Kaltenborn conceded on Friday the events of last week had resulted in ' a negative impact ' on the team , but she felt confident that , given the tremendous result , it had now been restored . 'With what happened , the morale was affected , but you could feel they got themselves together , ' Kaltenborn added . 'With these kind of results , you can have an extra push of motivation and you can feel good about it . 'This result tells people we 're back , to forget about what happened last year , that it was a one-off and wo n't happen again . '
Sauber 's opening week to the Formula One season was marred by a legal dispute with former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde . The case was over his claim on a full - time race seat for this season . That was resolved on Saturday morning and Sauber impressed at the Australian Grand Prix , their drivers finishing fifth and eighth . Last season , they did n't earn a point and team principal van der admits she was happy to end a tough season with a smileÂ .