Dennis Confirms Minardi Will Get Financial Help

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis confirmed today that the struggling Minardi team will get financial help from their rivals.

Earlier this month, Minardi boss Paul Stoddart raised the prospect of protesting against the British Grand Prix result under an interpretation of the rules if rivals competed with driver aids and his Minardi didn't.

The FIA, the sport's governing body, had reached a 'gentleman's agreement' with the teams in order to allow them to use aid systems such as traction control at Silverstone, where a ban was supposed to come in place.

Stoddart said that since the other teams had not upheld their part of the deal in paying money from a fighting fund, he would protest if they used the so-called driving aids.

Australian Stoddart, however, decided to drop the plans and Dennis confirmed that the Minardi team will be getting funds from his rivals.

"I will possibly now be quite involved in trying to help. The documents are in place - it's really for Paul now to just circulate the document, have people sign it. There are funds available for him," said Dennis. "But I think it's more appropriate you speak to Paul - obviously he's the reciprocant, he understands everything, but he will be receiving some funds from the teams. It's a no strings, helping hand.

"Unlike popular belief, we tend to look after each other and there's plenty of examples for that. It's because we are, in some ways, a bit like a circus; we travel the world, we meet up. Probably 95% of the people in a Grand Prix are the same with regards to supporting teams as it were. And in the end of the day it's logical to try and help each other."

Dennis, who has been involved in a war of words with Stoddart over the fighting fund money, said there was now a "common objective" to solve Formula One's problems.

"I think there's a mood to try and resolve, close off, most of the issues," added Dennis. "We have a common objective - to grow Formula One, to make Formula One better. We think the first thing to do is try and sort out some of the issues in order that we can look at the bigger picture, and that's what we're trying to do."