Giedo van der Garde

Giedo van der Garde is a Dutch former racing driver and current broadcaster, best known for his Formula One campaign with Caterham in 2013 and for being at the centre of one of the sport’s most high-profile contract disputes with Sauber in 2015. After leaving F1, he became a European Le Mans Series champion in 2016, and now serves as an analyst for Viaplay.

Nationality	Dutch
Born	Giedo Gijsbertus Gerrit van der Garde 25 April 1985 Rhenen, Netherlands

Born in Rhenen, Netherlands, van der Garde began karting at age 9 and progressed quickly through the ranks. His greatest karting success came in 2002, when he won the Karting World Championship in the direct-drive class. From there, he climbed through the single-seater ladder:

Competed in Formula Renault and Formula 3 Euro Series
Won the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship in 2008 with P1 Motorsport
Moved into GP2, where he achieved multiple wins and finished a career-best 4th overall in 2011

He was briefly part of the McLaren Young Driver Programme and tested for Spyker and Super Aguri, but a 2007 contract dispute between the two teams limited his exposure.

Formula One Career

Caterham: 2012–2013

Van der Garde joined Caterham F1 as a reserve driver in 2012, taking part in six FP1 sessions throughout the season. On 1 February 2013, he was promoted to a full-time race seat alongside Charles Pic.

Despite a lacklustre Caterham CT03 chassis, van der Garde showed flashes of quality:

Made his debut at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, finishing 18th
Achieved Caterham’s best qualifying of the season at Monaco (15th) and Belgium (14th)
Scored his best race result at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing 14th ahead of teammate Pic and both Marussia drivers
Demonstrated strategic intelligence by gambling on slick tyres in mixed conditions at Spa, briefly placing as high as third in Q1

His efforts were commendable given the team’s uncompetitive car, but Caterham opted not to retain him for 2014.

Sauber Contract Dispute: 2014–2015

Van der Garde signed with Sauber as a reserve and test driver in 2014, participating in seven FP1 sessions. He claimed that a guaranteed race seat for 2015 was part of his contract. However, Sauber signed Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr instead, leading van der Garde to pursue legal arbitration.

Key developments:

March 2015: Van der Garde won a Swiss arbitration case, which confirmed his right to a race seat
Australian Grand Prix: Enforced the ruling in an Australian court, causing major turmoil ahead of the season opener
Sauber delayed running its cars in FP1, citing safety concerns
Ultimately, van der Garde stood down voluntarily for the Melbourne race weekend, then settled with Sauber days later for a reported $16 million USD

He later said the battle was meant to uphold drivers’ rights and contractual integrity. The case remains a touchstone in legal F1 History.

Post-F1 Career

Sportscar Racing: 2016–2023

Van der Garde moved to endurance racing, where he found considerable success:

Won the 2016 European Le Mans Series with G-Drive Racing in the LMP2 category
Competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship
Represented Racing Team Nederland for five seasons
Entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times
Retired from racing at the end of the 2023 season

Broadcasting

With the rise of Max Verstappen, van der Garde became a sought-after Dutch pundit regularly appeared on Dutch TV shows from 2015 to 2021. In 2022, joined Viaplay as a full-time Formula One analyst and has worked alongside fellow ex-drivers Christijan Albers and Tom Coronel.