Stoddart said after a meeting of team owners on Friday at the Nurburgring that he had been promised he would receive the $12m (�8m) on Monday.

Stoddart believes he is owed the money because of Minardi's finishing positions in the world championship in the last three years.

But some team owners, notably Tom Walkinshaw of Arrows and McLaren's Ron Dennis, say he has no right to it.

And there have been claims that the case will go to arbitration before it is resolved.

Stoddart has threatened to quit the sport if he does not receive the money - he says his team does not have the funds to complete the year.

Stoddart said before the meeting that Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), had instructed F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to pay Minardi.

But Stoddart said opposition from other teams was blocking the funds.

"There are a couple of team owners, in particular Walkinshaw and Ron Dennis, who are incredibly upset and seem to think that they have some legal claim to this money," said the Australian.

"They just don't want to accept reality."

He added: "We're being played with. I don't think there's any other words for it. We seem to be pawns in a rather big game of politics, which I don't feel very happy about at all."