Do not expect Formula One cars to have headlights fitted on them for night racing in Singapore.

Ferrari's chief executive officer Jean Todt may have found the thought amusing, but he was serious with this plea: Do not make the proposed Singapore F1 Grand Prix boring.

Todt, who has led Ferrari to 11 world titles since he joined the team in 1993, welcomed the possible addition of Singapore to the F1 circuit. Sources say this may happen by next year.

"I quite like having more races in Asia as this makes F1 a truly international event," he said at a press conference yesterday.

The current proposal, under discussion between local tycoon Ong Beng Seng and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, envisages F1 cars zooming down the streets around the Esplanade and Marina South.

The event would mirror the only other race run entirely on a city's streets: the Monaco Grand Prix.

"Monaco is one of the legendary races, but overtaking is an issue there," Todt said.

Because of the narrow roads, drivers are rarely able to overtake, often leading to predictable results.

In three of the past five races, the winners started from the pole position.

He said: "Hopefully, we won't see a race in Singapore like we sometimes have in Monaco, where a car which is three or four seconds slower than the rest is in front and no one can pass."

With the Singapore race likely to be held at night to coincide with prime-time television broadcast in Europe, another concern he raised was adequate lighting.

"Some television promoters are sceptical the lighting will be sufficient for TV audiences to follow the race clearly," he said.

Fitting the F1 cars with headlights - the norm in other motor-racing events that take place at night such as the Le Mans 24 Hours race - is not an option as their aerodynamic designs are often the key to their success.

Headlights will also add to the weight of the cars.

However, the Frenchman was optimistic that a Singapore race would be well-run. "You have good infrastructure. There is already good accommodation, and I believe it will be very well-organised," he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said that a Singapore race would only complement the Malaysia race.

Speaking in response to a question in Parliament yesterday, he said that he did not see any conflict because each race would be unique in character and circuit design.