Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton predicts that the Singapore night race on Sept. 28 will be tricky, technical, and very testing for each driver on the grid.
It may be the toughest test since his first race in 2007 in Melbourne, where he burst onto our TV screens emphatically.
Not only do the drivers have to contend with learning the new track, they must do it under the humid night sky of the lion district of Singapore.
"It is difficult to imagine what a night race will be like, then with brick walls everywhere too, I think it will be very technical and very tricky for overtaking, with the shadows off the lights," said the 23-year-old Herts-born racer.
The circuit runs along the Central Business district of the city, and Hamilton plans to get there early to understand the track.
"I'll get there early and walk the track with my engineers and size up the circuit in preparation," he said. "For me, I see this as a distinct advantage, as I learn circuits so quickly."
We all know how Lewis coped when he visited Montreal and Indianapolis for his very first time in the 2007 season.
Singapore Street Circuit, Marina Bay
Okay, so let us take a look at what we are in for when the Singapore Grand Prix makes its first appearance.
5.067 Kilometres or 3.148 Miles in length.
23 corners in total:
Republic Boulevard, Raffles Boulevard, Nicoll Highway, Stamford Road, St. Andrews Road, Anderson Bridge, Esplanade Drive, and Raffles Avenue are the named corners/sections of the circuit.
A temporary track will be used as the pit lane exit, which will travel under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge to Republic Boulevard. The cars will rejoin the circuit at Raffles Boulevard.
The qualifying and second practise sessions are to be held at night, too. The testing and first practise sessions will be performed during the day to allow the drivers to get a feel for the circuit layout.
The drivers will have to change their sleeping patterns slightly, too. They are so used to being early birds, usually. They will have to time it just right to make sure of maximum alertness and awareness when it's time to race.
There have been safety concerns raised; however, it will still go ahead as scheduled. As long as they keep the fans and seating arrangements at a safe distance from the cars, there should be no problems.
The biggest problem could be tyre temperatures. If it's a cooler night than Singapore is used to, then it will be difficult to get sufficient heat in the tyres. If it's one of Singapore's warmer nights, then we could be seeing tyres reaching the graining phase a lot quicker.
Crashes could pose a problem, too, with no run off areas, if a car crashes or retires for some reason, then it could prove more difficult than Monaco to remove the cars, so we could see a safety car at some point of the race.
All in all, it's an exciting prospect for every Formula 1 fan across the globe and another huge step in the regeneration of the sport as we move forward in this modern era.
I can't wait for Sept. 28, can you?
Tell me your thoughts on this night race, Bleachers. Is a night race too dangerous? Should we have more than one night race on the calendar?
Who do you think will win the first-ever night race? As always, rate and comment please.
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