Foot-and-mouth outbreak won’t stop British GP

Unless the current situation worsens significantly, the race will go ahead despite the fact that Silverstone is situated in the middle of the Northamptonshire countryside. Only one case has been reported in the county so far, but this is only about 10 miles away from the circuit at Wootton, where 558 sheep have been infected.

"We are taking it [the foot-and-mouth threat] very seriously and we are in daily contact with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Foods," Octagon's Rob Bain told Autosport's sister publication Motoring News. "We speak to our local authorities weekly and we seek clearance for every event that we are open for.

"We are taking all the precautions we've been advised to take in terms of straw matting and disinfectant at all our gates, many of which we've closed."

Some of the farmland surrounding the circuit is used as car parks during British Grand Prix weekend, while rural footpaths are also used to access to the venue.

Procedures have already been put in place in a bid to ensure the race can go ahead, including the closure of a number of gates and the use of straw matting and disinfectant.