Drivers back night race plan

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed in an interview with The Mail on Sunday that he wanted to include a 'good number' of night races as early as next season.

GPDA director Mark Webber has welcomed the suggestion, as long as proper testing of running cars in the dark was done.

"That is a brilliant idea. Absolutely brilliant," said Webber about Ecclestone's suggestion. "I think we should race at night. I think he is talking brilliant sense. It would be great for the sport.

"There will have to be a balance between not having enough lighting and having too much lighting, because you don't want it like daytime.

"There needs to be some testing done though. I know the drivers are not important when it comes to a lot of things, but we probably need to test a few things to work out what is sensible and what is not. We are a part of a show and we want to make it better."

He added: "The tracks will be quick - it is the same at Le Mans, when the cars are quicker at night. The engines like it. Night races are good. It would be great in Malaysia actually because it would be cooler then."

Honda Racing's Rubens Barrichello is also in favour of the night race idea.

"It will be fine," he said. "I have no idea what it will be like in the cockpit - obviously doing 300km/h at night, I don't know what the illumination will give.

"On a kart it's fine - but I have no idea what it will be like in an F1 car. It will be fun for the public and as long as we have safety in the car it will be fine."