Dennis and Stoddart Mend Fences

McLaren and Minardi Formula One bosses Ron Dennis and Paul Stoddart called a halt to their war of words at the Australian Grand Prix today.

Appearing together at a news conference two days after Stoddart accused Dennis of wanting to squeeze him out of the sport, the two said they had met on Thursday and agreed to concentrate on racing from now on.

"I think Paul understands very clearly from our conversation that I don't wish him anything other than a positive future," said Dennis, who had angered Stoddart with some disparaging comments last month.

"I have got to look at the interests of the team and a lot has been said over the last few weeks, a lot of it is regrettable," said Stoddart.

The Australian is battling for his team's survival after the apparent collapse of a 'fighting fund' to ensure no more teams followed Prost and Arrows into liquidation. But Dennis said the fund was not yet dead and added that nobody wanted to see another team go.

"I would like to see 12 teams in Formula One," he said. "Why on earth would I want to see less? I can't see the logic of it.

"Why on earth is it in the interests of any team that is currently competing to have less than 10 teams? Because that imposes on us an obligation to run a third car and there is not one team who wishes to do that."

Under the Concorde Agreement between teams, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the governing International Automobile Federation, two teams must run three cars each if the numbers on the starting grid drop below 20.

Team boss Frank Williams added that "subject to clarification of the clauses in the Concorde Agreement I earnestly believe teams will take care of Paul, or most of them."