Jenson Button has criticised Sauber for using supposed safety concerns in their attempts to prevent Giedo van der Garde from driving their car at this week's Australian Grand Prix.

Dutch racer Van der Garde successfully had a ruling made by a Swiss court upheld in Melbourne this week, meaning Sauber are obliged to honour a contract he signed for a 2015 seat.

The constructor had argued that allowing Van der Garde to race a car he has not previously driven or been fitted for would be "reckless and dangerous".

But those claims left a sour taste in the mouth of F1's most experienced driver, as 268-race veteran Button claimed to have no issue going wheel-to-wheel with the former Caterham man.

"The bit that surprises me most is the comments from Sauber saying it is a safety issue with him driving the car," Button told Sky Sports.

"For me it is a shame that they have gone in that direction, because safety is always a concern in motorsport and we shouldn't be throwing it around lightly. 

"Personally him driving the car is not a safety issue. I think it is unfair to use that against Giedo."

Former Sauber driver Sergio Perez also weighed in on the issue, with the Mexican blasting his former employers for showing a lack of respect.

"It shouldn't be the way people should be treating drivers. They should respect drivers," he told reporters at Albert Park.

"A driver can be quite powerful. We are working here. We need this work and this career, so it's not fair when people are not treating you the way you have to be treated.

"It doesn't matter if you are a driver or an engineer, everyone has to be treated fairly and if there's a contract it should be respected because there are rules and they have to be followed."