Formula One's first foray into night-time racing got under way on Friday with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella steering his Force India car onto the streets of Singapore to start free practice.
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After storms lashed the city-state in the early hours and threatened to disrupt the drivers' first full-speed look at the 5.067 km circuit, practice for Sunday's grand prix started at 1900 local (1100 GMT) under a cloudless night sky.
Fisichella and German team mate Adrian Sutil, neither of whom have scored any points this season, were the first to emerge from the pit lane and speed away under the floodlights for installation laps.
Engineers and logistics experts allieviated many of the concerns about night racing earlier in the year, but the one wildcard has been the weather and how reflections from standing water could affect vision with the glare from the floodlights.
However, teams and drivers had given the circuit the green light during the week and hopes were high that both Friday's practice sessions would be completed without weather interruptions.
Meteorologists have predicted a 50 percent chance of rain over the weekend and thunderstorms are now expected according to Singapore's Environment Agency.
Image: Rubens Barrichello of Brazil and Honda Racing takes to the floodlit streets during practice for the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 26, 2008 in Singapore. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
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