Singapore to host F1 race at night

PARIS, France (AP) -- Singapore will host its first Formula One race next season -- and it will become the motor sport's first event to take place at night.
The World Motor Sport Council released the 2008 F1 schedule on Wednesday, with Singapore listed as the 15th event on the 18-race calendar.

It will be held under lights on a street circuit in the city-state on September 28.

The 2008 season will again begin in Melbourne, Australia, on March 13 and end in Brazil on November 2.

The calendar also includes 10 races in Europe, along with others in Malaysia, Bahrain, Canada, Japan and China.

The European GP, formerly held in Germany, will now be on a street circuit in Valencia, Spain, and the Turkish GP has been pushed forward to May 11.

Meanwhile, the WMSC confirmed at its meeting in Paris that the Spyker team will be renamed as Force India next season.

The team, based in Silverstone, England, was bought by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneur Michiel Mol earlier this month.

Mallya and Mol are the third owners in two years for the former Jordan team. The Midland group took over in 2005, before selling to Spyker in September 2006.

Adrian Sutil was the most successful driver for Spyker this season with one point as the team finished last in the constructors' championship.

The other Spyker drivers -- Sakon Yamamoto, Christian Albers and Markus Winkelhock -- filled the bottom three places in the standings.

Dutch driver Albers was fired in July because of sponsorship difficulties.

The WMSC also ruled that there will be a total freeze on engine development for a period of 10 years from 2008.

Rules restricting engine development work were first introduced for the 2007 season.

A WMSC statement read: "A change can be made after five years but only with the unanimous agreement of all stakeholders and following a further two-year notice period.

"Total freeze means that there will be no exceptions for development of certain parts of the engine, as is the case under the current regulations."

And the WMSC also revealed that McLaren will pay more than half of a record US$100 million fine to auto racing's world governing body in December.

The FIA, which fined McLaren in September for possessing confidential documents belonging to rival Ferrari, said on Wednesday the "sum in excess of $50 million" would be used to promote safety in the sport around the world.

"Especially in countries where the motor sport infrastructure is in need of support," FIA said in a statement on its Web site.

The fine included McLaren's expected loss of income. The team were also disqualified from this season's F1 constructors' championship, which was eventually won by Ferrari.

2008 F1 schedule:

March 16: Australia (Melbourne)
March 23: Malaysia (Sepang)
April 6: Bahrain (Sakhir)
April 27: Spain (Barcelona)
May 11: Turkey (Istanbul)
May 25: Monaco
June 8: Canada (Montreal)
June 22: France (Magny-Cours)
July 6: Great Britain (Silverstone)
July 20: Germany (Hockenheim)
August 3: Hungary (Hungaroring)
August 24: Europe (Valencia, Spain)
September 7: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
September 14: Italy (Monza)
September 28: Singapore
October 12: Japan (Mont-Fuji)
October 19: China (Shanghai)
November 2: Brazil (Sao Paulo)

 

Kind of crazy if you ask me!

 

If the Audi's can race at night as part of a 24-hour race, then surely the F1 guys can manage a night race for a couple of hours?

~shahedc
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Especially if it pours!

 

I'm just happy the Canadian GP is confirmed! As for the night race... well they'll figure it out.

Question is will they practice in the daylight or at night?

 

If it does, then Winkelhock will lead the race all the way, whichever team he's with (if any) at that time..

~shahedc
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I'm looking forward to going

 

book 2 seats Don Maurizio I'm coming with you