Yoong wants Minardi cash.

Alex Yoong, has today issued a statement calling on Minardi boss, Paul Stoddart, to pay him his outstanding wages, a figure believed to be worth around ?125,000.

In a statement on Yoong's personal website, the Malaysian said:

"The financial situation of Minardi changed after Canada when Minardi found new sponsors and new investors. It is only fair and an honourable thing to do if Minardi pay me the balance of my fees amounting to US $200,000 immediately.

"This amount had never been disputed by Minardi through our many written reminders and monthly statements of accounts sent to Minardi, and it has been outstanding for more than half a year now."

Stoddart, speaking at the European GP explained that the reason the wages had not been paid, is because the Italian concern is owed more than $1 million in sponsorship money from three Malaysian companies.

Stoddart told Reuters: "Alex is owed money under his driver's contract from last year, we're owed a rather larger amount of money under a sponsorship from last year. His driver's contract was directly linked to sponsorship and I've actually said to his father that if he can help us collect the outstanding sponsorship that I'll go 50-50 on what we get."

Yoong though has rejected claims that his driver's contract was in any way linked to sponsorship. The statement on his website added:

"The driving fees are not linked to the Malaysian sponsors in anyway.

"The contract does state that my drive is dependent on Malaysian sponsors coming in support with Minardi for 2002 and once I started driving for Minardi, the fees for my employment were due in accordance to the schedule in the contract.

"I definitely would not have done the deal with Minardi to drive in 2002 if not for the contracted fees as these fees were needed badly to pay part of the huge debt I've incurred during the racing years prior to this. What's the point of driving in Formula 1 if it means incurring more debts that I cannot repay?"