Northamptonshire's Silverstone 'will need new asphalt' in wake of cancelled MotoGP race this weekend

The race was cancelled at 4pm on Sunday (August 26) due to dangerous weather conditions after fans waited for hours in what Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle called "the foulest of British weather".

In a press conference following the decision, top bosses for MotoGP blamed the Silverstone circuit surface for failing to drain off the heavy rain.

It comes after a new multi-million pound surface was built onto the circuit earlier this year, which Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton criticised as "bumpier than the Nordschleife".

Announcing the cancellation, Race director Mike Webb said: "It was obvious the track conditions weren’t safe.

"We’ve had a number of years here in very wet conditions recently with the old surface and been able to run races. This year, with the new surface, it’s the first time we’ve encountered quite so much standing water in critical places on the track."

It casts doubt on whether Silverstone will be able to host another MotoGP race in the future.

Silverstone say they are launching a "full investigation" in the asphalt's condition that will reportedly take six weeks to complete.

Grand Prix safety officer Franco Uncini told the press conference that Silverstone "will need a new asphalt".

It comes after one rider, Tito Rabat, came off his Avintia Ducati in heavy rain during a practise session on Saturday and broke his leg in three places.

In a statement shared on the Silverstone Facebook page on Sunday, the circuit's managing director Stuart Pringle said: "I want to apologise personally to all our race fans who came out to MotoGP today.

"[They] were subjected to the most extraordinarily long wait in the foulest of British weather conditions, which ultimately resulted in no race at all."

Silverstone bosses say they will contact customers affected by the cancellation within the next week.