Mother Nature key factor in first Grand Prix at night

With the race one of only three this year to run in a counter-clockwise direction, it will be illuminated by 1,500 light projectors on a street circuit extending 5,067 kilometres around picturesque Marina Bay.

 "I would prefer it to be dry," said Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who trails leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren by a single point. "But we can do well."

   McLaren chief executive officer Martin Whitmarsh expects the quality of light to be as good as operating in daylight.

 "If it rains, there will be a problem with glare or the sparkle of light from droplets that is greater than you ordinarily get," he said.

 McLaren is relying on coatings on visors to stop droplets from collecting.

 The winners of the first F1 night race will have a massive psychological advantage, experts say, with only three more to go after Singapore.

 "Whoever wins this, where it's Hamilton or Massa, will probably be the champion," promoter Bernie Ecclestone told The Straits Times.

 Vijay Mallya, head of the Force India team who has been living in Singapore for 25 years, is used to the frequent rain, tropical heat and humidity.

 "It rains every night," he noted. "It just comes."

   Although the racers are used to jetting around the world, staying in European time and resisting acclimatizing is an essential part of their strategies.

 The two practice sessions on Friday start at 7 pm (local time) and 9.30 pm. The qualifying session on Saturday begins at 10 pm and the race at 8 pm.

 Hamilton said racing at night on a track with 23 turns will be a "fun challenge." First and second-gear bends are expected to result in an average lap speed of 175 kilometres per hour with some stretches likely to result in top speeds of 308 kilometres per hour.

 His McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen, also appearing relaxed, recalled the 24 hours of winter darkness in Finland. "I don't think I will have any problems," he said.

 Ecclestone gave the city-state the green line to host the event in May 2007 as part of Singapore's revitalization drive to attract more tourists that includes the opening of two casino resorts in 2010.

 The race is attracting 40,000 tourists, a global television audience estimated at 500 million viewers and expected to boost Singapore's image as an Asian world-class events locale.

DPA