Formula One driver Giedo van der Garde 's fight for a race seat for the 2015 season should move a step nearer to a conclusion on Wednesday . Van der Garde , who was axed as test driver by Sauber at the end of last season , claims he was promised a full-time race seat for the forthcoming campaign that begins in Australia this weekend . Sauber eventually hired Sweden 's Marcus Ericsson and Brazilian Felipe Nasr , but Van der Garde has already seen an arbitration panel in Switzerland rule in his favour and is now looking for that decision to be enforced ahead of the season-opener . Giedo van Der Garde , pictured at testing in 2014 was the reserve driver for Sauber last season . Dutch driver claims he was offered a race seat for the 2015 campaign but Sauber reneged on deal . The Supreme Court in Victoria , Australia , announced on Monday via its official Twitter account that a judgement in Van der Garde 's case would be reserved until 10am Wednesday local time ( 11pm Tuesday night UK time ) . The Swiss tribunal recently ordered Sauber 'to refrain from taking action ' that would deny Van der Garde one of the two race seats , but Sauber are determined to fight their corner . Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn , a former lawyer , said on Friday : 'As this matter is currently before the courts it would be inappropriate for me to comment on specific details . 'However , we will take all necessary steps to protect our company , this team and its interests . 'Last year was a challenging time for us , but going into the 2015 season we have been focused on putting steps in place to ensure we are delivering the best outcomes for F1 's fans . '
mark van der Garde was Sauber 's test driver last season . He claims he was promised a full - time race seat for the 2019 season . But ##ports ##ton Marcus Ericsson and Felipe ##sson instead . Supreme Court in Australia will announce their decision on retirement . First race ( Australia ) of the formula One season starts on March 15 .