SILVERSTONE chiefs are suing the contractors who relaid their F1 track for £8million after Lewis Hamilton branded it “the worst job ever”.
Bosses paid £2million for the new surface in 2018.
But the firm they hired, Aggregate Industries, is accused of leaving it bumpy, easily waterlogged and “breaking up” in places.
Seven-times F1 champ Hamilton, 37, said in 2018: “It’s the bumpiest track I’ve ever experienced.”
During practice in the run-up to the British MotoGP in August 2018, five riders crashed in the wet. One, Tito Rabat, broke his leg in three places.
The fallout led the FIM, motorcycling’s governing body, to revoke Silverstone’s licence — throwing its F1 future into doubt.
The loss of the MotoGP cost the iconic circuit, in Northants, at least £3.5million, court papers show.
Relaying the track again with another firm cost £3.7million.
In a High Court writ, lawyers for Silverstone claim the new track had “microbumps” which made racing vehicles vibrate at speed and visible day joint lines where different sections were laid at different times.
They allege bitumen seepages led to “fatty” patches, while there was excessive water retention, with the track releasing foaming white liquid at times.
Silverstone called in Tarmac Trading Ltd to relay the surface in time for the 2019 British Grand Prix, the writ states.
Silverstone is suing Aggregate for the cost of the cancelled MotoGP and further resurfacing and for loss of profits of around £624,552.
The total amounts to £7,933,124 plus legal costs.
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