Stoddart hopes for Minardi solution

A fortnight ago in Monaco, Stoddart talked about taking the matter to arbitration if he did not get an estimated $12 million which he felt Minardi was due based on top 10 championship finishes in two of the past three years. The money, however, was blocked due to uncertainty over the Phoenix Finance/Prost situation, until a court judgement went against Phoenix.

Minardi is clearly in need of money but any drawing out of the Phoenix issue will effectively stall its payment, and Stoddart has now been advised that seeking arbitration will also delay things unfeasibly.

"If people have a hidden agenda then there is nothing I can do, but I will not go quietly," Stoddart added in Canada. "I am not going to roll over and die for something I believe in. But I could do without the sensationalism because we are the innocent party in this and we are being hurt by the stories.

"People don't read the small print they read the headlines, like: 'Will Minardi make it? I don't want to get hung by headlines that say Minardi is going to go bust. That is not the case. Minardi is being starved of its lawfully earned funds and I want to see an end to that.

"If all else fails you will have a very bitter, twisted me going to arbitration in six to nine months time. I hope for everybody's sake and for F1 that it doesn't happen. I can't see what good this is doing anybody. I lay awake at night and wonder why it is happening."