Valentino Rossi, the most experie🎶nced rider on the Mo𒁏toGP grid and winner of the wet 2015British MotoGP, said that drainage more than bumps is what made the new Silverstone surface so treacherous in the wet.

Rossi was 'fortunately' not on track w🌸hen half-a-dozen riders were caught out by aquaplaning at the end of the 200🐬mph Hangar Straight.

Alex Rins, the first rider to fall, was doing 160km/h when he bailed off his Suzuki while Tito Rabat was&nbs✅p;hit in the gravel trap ♈by Franco Morbidelli's motorcycle, suffering multiple leg fractures.

"I understand there was a lot of water and aquaplaning," said Rossi. "Tito crashed and the bike of Franco hi🤡t Tito. When the asphalt is normally wet: the grip is not so bad. The problem is that the water does noꦫt drain so it stays on the top and there is aquaplaning.

"If it rains very hard and you have a lot of water then it is dangerous. I don't know [if it's too dangerous to ꦇrace] because I was not on the trac🔯k in FP4, fortunately. If the other guys say it is like this, then it is true."

Asked to compare the conditions with those he faced on his way to victory ꦏ;on the old surface, in 2015, the nineꦗ-time world champion replied:

"It looks like the new asphalt has better grip, more than 2015, bu൩t it doesn't drain the water. It did in 2015, wh📖ere it was slippery but normal conditions.

"The problem is that the new asphalt does not drain enough, 𓆏I think. The bumps, where you have the rivers [between], are the same as 2015. Maybe now there are more [bumps] but for me it is the drainage."

Rossi weℱnt on to qualify twelfth and last in the drying Qualifying 2 session, after leaving the pits too late 🍒for his second run.

"I was very upset because we had a good strategy," said the Movistar Yamaha rid๊er. "But we were a little bit tight and unfortunately we made a mistake in the box, los𒁏t a bit too much time to change the rear tyre and I missed the flag by two seconds.

"It’s a shame because I did a '10.7 on the last lap which would have been P5 and starting from the second row which would have been good. We had the right tyres but we were unlucky. So now I have to start from the fourth row and it will be ✨mo꧟re difficult.

"Fort🎐unately I don't feel too bad with the bike. I saw that Dovi was a little faster than me but I was not so bad. It was strange conditions because it was half-half. Weಌ need to work more but the first impression is quite good."

Team-mate Maveric🤡k Vinales will start just one place 🐟ahead of Rossi.

Tomorrow's race start has been mo✨ved from 1pm to 11:30am to try and avoid the worst of the rain forecast for Sunday🔜.