By Huw Alban
June 10 2002

The season long dispute between Arrows team boss Tom Walkinshaw and Minardi’s Paul Stoddart took a twist at the Canadian Grand Prix, with a report of a counter suggestion from Arrows with regard to the distribution of funds left over from the collapse of Prost Grand Prix. KL Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart is still whittering on about the money owed to his team from the collapse of Prost Grand Prix. According to several news sources, the Australian issued a letter to all the teams asking for their agreement to the fact that there is TV money owing to the Minardi team. The letter, which circulated the paddock throughout the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, was countered by a further document from Tom Walkinshaw. Interestingly it was reported that the Arrows team boss issued his document to all the teams, except Minardi. Walkinshaw has suggested that the funds are distributed evenly throughout the grid, rather than by the normal method of distribution due to results.

There has been much reported about the state of Arrows’ funds, although there has been no official announcement from the team. Recently Tom Walkinshaw confirmed that his team had secured two new deals that would see clear the short term future for Arrows.

In contrast, Stoddart has spoken volumes about the financial state of Minardi and is intending to raise this issue again at a teams’ meeting later this week.

“If people have a hidden agenda, then there is nothing I can do, but I will not go quietly,” Stoddart was quoted as saying on the matter. “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 it’s 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.”