Dennis refutes Minardi cash claim

Ron Dennis has stated he is against Minardi's claims that the team is owed money from last year's television income. The McLaren boss will meet with other F1 principals, along with Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley, in London tomorrow to discuss various matters including commercial revenue.

Minardi principal Paul Stoddart believes he is entitled to the money and has said that the funds, available due to the demise of Prost, are crucial to the team continuing in the sport. Dennis refutes the claim, saying Minardi has no legal rights on the matter.

"There is a quantity of teams, and I am most firmly in that camp, who do believe strongly that Minardi has no legal right to the funds that they claim they have rights to," said Dennis. "Their argument is made on the basis that because Prost is not competing, there is the promotion from 11th to 10th and that ninth doesn't exist."

"There's going to be a room in which all the team principals sit with Max and Bernie. We will discuss a range of issues and that will probably be one of them. The fact that we are all together helps but I don't think it's going to change the facts of the matter."

Stoddart is hoping for a good outcome to the meeting but does not seem optimistic: "Hopefully we can resolve it once and for all at the meeting in London," he said. "I think it will be solved on Thursday but I've stopped making predictions because when you think something is right both legally and morally it doesn't seem to carry a lot of weight."