Stoddart Critical of Williams, McLaren

Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart has criticised McLaren chairman Ron Dennis and Williams owner Frank Williams for refusing to help the smaller Formula One teams.

Stoddart, who has secured funding to keep Minardi on the grid for the remainder of the season, had been promised the creation of a 'fighting fund' in January to help privateer teams.

That 'fighting fund' - which was also to help Sauber and Jordan - has not been created yet and Stoddart has criticised Dennis and Williams for the part they have played.

"I am seriously disappointed with the likes of (Ron) Dennis and (Frank) Williams, who promised they would support low-budget teams like us and have not delivered," Stoddart said. "It is not their money we seek, but a pledge not to stand in the way of around £8 million we were due to collect when Arrows became defunct.

"It was a pledge of help made in January that has still not been delivered and it makes our very existence extremely difficult. Talk is cheap."

Minardi, who have faced an annual struggle to raise funding to stay on the Formula One grid, signed a sponsorship deal with Trust last week to secure the finances for the rest of the 2003 season.