The Formula One calender starts it's fly-away leg of the season in the Singapore metropolis this weekend for the first ever night race. It's a a street circuit, the third of the season, and with the race being held at night at a track none of the drivers have ever seen, there will be quite a few challenges to consider.
The first potentially tricky obstacle the drivers face is the artificial light which will illuminate the circuit. That coupled with rain could give off an almighty glare, making visibility poor which could potentially lead to a few collisions. Drivers have only ever used video-game like simulators to get a feel of what the circuit looks like from the cockpit but it's obviously no replacement for the real thing.
Time management will be another problem for the drivers. The race will start at 8pm Singapore time (11am South African time) so the teams will have an unusually long day. Personnel will have to wake up around midday and go to bed at around 3 o' clock the next morning. But the drivers themselves don't seem too fussed about the timing issue. David Coulthard from Red Bull Racing says he'll be trying out the club scene and stocking up on carrots to improve his vision at night. The same goes for Rubens Barrichello from Honda who says he'll be pursuing a lively night life. The McLaren team have ordered the hotel staff to black out all windows and hold all calls to the team until the afternoon.
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone will also be doing its bit to make ! visibility easier for the fans. They'll be putting reflective ! lines on their tyres to make it easier for viewers to differentiate between the different compounds.
The free practice sessions happen on Friday with qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
