Ecclestone denies Silverstone blame

"People are probably point the finger at me. I get the blame for most things but I don't deserve the blame for this but I can't go into why we are in April. It wasn't anything to do with me," he said.

"I don't want to be in this weather any more than anyone else."

"Silverstone have done what they normally do and not taken the weather into consideration. They didn't know it was going to rain. They should have prayed."

Ecclestone has been the focus of criticism because he arranges the Formula One calendar but the schedule is normally a trade off between the requirements of different circuits and different countries.

Team boss Ron Dennis defended Ecclestone saying he did not believe the timing of the race was "malicious"

"A legacy of choosing to host the Grand Prix at this time of the year is that it increases the odds of bad weather," he said.

"But it is completely unfair to criticise Silverstone for the conditions. These are not tremendously adverse conditions for the English spring."

"You could go anywhere in the world and I would give you the time of year to hold a race when the conditions are bad."

"Don't be too harsh on Silverstone."