Former Sauber driver Giedo Van Der Garde has announced on Facebook that he has reached a settlement with the team and his contract with them has been ended by “mutual consent” and says that his future in Formula 1 is probably over.

The Dutchmen sought a court order in Melbourne at the eve of the first round of the Formula 1 World Championship which would have allowed him to race for the Swiss based team. Van Der Garde won the case which Sauber subsequently appealed and lost.

In a strongly worded statement Van Der Garde says that the bosses at Sauber outright refused him a race seat, even though, contractually, he had a race seat. He also says that his sponsors paid a large sponsorship fee to Sauber for 2015 during the 2014 season. This, Van Der Garde says, was done in good faith. He also reveals that because of the payment Sauber was able to see the 2014 season through to the end. This money was paid back as the contract settlement to the young Dutchmen.

Van Der Garde places the blame with Sauber’s management for the situation in Melbourne saying that “the team principal was adamant not to let me drive, notwithstanding my legal rights to do so and a series of rulings and court orders in my favour and despite my race driving abilities.”

He goes on to say that he could have pushed on with the legal action which would’ve resulted in both of Sauber’s cars being seized by the court and also the arrest of the team’s directors. His conscience did prevail as he did not want to ruin the careers of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson.

“To push on against this determination might have brought down the team, it would most certainly have wrecked the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne because the team´s cars would have been seized by the court, it may have ruined the careers of two young drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.”

Van Der Garde will now consider a drive in the FIA WEC Chapionship or in DTM. There is nothing confirmed at this time but he says that he will sit down with his management and discuss his options for the future.