Minardi boss seeks speedy tyre resolution

The Australian has said that he is aiming to reach an agreement with the Japanese tyre manufacturer soon, and reckons that using F3000 tyres will not hinder Minardi's aims for the test.

Stoddart told Autosport.com: "In the middle of October we requested that Bridgestone supply us with tyres. Looking at the competition levels this year, the kind of teams that we'll be fighting against are all on Bridgestone, so we thought we'd be better off with them. Also, Jos [Verstappen] was adamant that we use Bridgestone tyres.

"So on the 17th October we contacted them and at the moment negotiations are still on going. I am hopeful that they will be resolved soon."

With no tyre contract, Minardi have been testing today with driver Justin Wilson driving a car fitted with slick Avon F3000 tyres. Despite the differences between the rubber and the grooved tyres used in F1, Stoddart maintains that the team can still benefit from the test.

"It was thoughtful of Avon to supply us with tyres - and they are good tyres," said Stoddart. "This is Avon helping Minardi out. The purpose of this test was the familiarisation of Justin and of Jos, who's been out of an F1 car for over a year, with an F1 car, so the tyre choice was not crucial. I am convinced that Bridgestone is the right choice for us and I hope that this will be resolved soon."

Under current F1 regulations, tyre manufacturers must be prepared to supply up to half the grid. Bridgestone currently supply four out of F1's ten teams, meaning that they have an obligation to supply one more team if requested.

A spokesman for the Bridgestone told Autosport.com: "We haven't come to an agreement."