F1's driver safety union, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, is concerned about the sport's forthcoming inaugural night race.The floodlit event, to be held on the streets of Singapore at the end of next month, will take place without any prior pre-race testing under lights.
The official timetable for the weekend's action even affords precious little evening practice for the drivers, and despite speculation and reports of amendments, this has never been officially confirmed.
"At the moment we still don't know what the schedule of the weekend will be," Toyota driver and GPDA stalwart Jarno Trulli told reporters at Valencia at the weekend.
He said a major concern is the combination of the lights, the concrete-lined street circuit, and the unknown quantity of how rain might further complicate their visibility.
"We are a little bit concerned," the Italian admitted. "We go there, we haven't tested, we don't have any idea. It's going to be a night race, it's going to be the rainy season, so it's not exactly what you really want from a safety point of view."
"It doesn't look comfortable so far."
Trulli said there is no point liaising with MotoGP riders about the situation, following the premier two-wheeled category's inaugural night race in Qatar earlier this year.
"Because riding a bike is different to driving a car. And they were racing on a circuit and we are racing on a street circuit. They had run-off and we have walls," Trulli added.
News Link
