Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher has backed the concept of night racing in formula one’s Asian region.
Singapore is imminently set to join the 2008 calendar as a floodlit grand prix, and officials for the race in Melbourne are also seriously considering Bernie Ecclestone’s proposal to create a better TV screening time for European fans.
It emerged on Wednesday, meanwhile, that the Malaysian grand prix could be held under dark skies, with Sepang chairman Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir saying the idea would make “commercial sense”.
He is quoted as saying by AFP: “It is cooler to race here (at night) and we think we can get more people to come and watch.”
31-year-old Schumacher joins rivals Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen in agreeing that safe floodlit racing would make a good addition to the formula one recipe.
The German said: “Things like lighting, flag signalling, flying medical helicopters at night and other things would all throw up problems that need to be overcome.
“But it has been done elsewhere and if the logistics can be solved, I don’t see why we shouldn’t do it.”
