LONDON - GRIPPING and wildly unpredictable, Sunday's inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix has been hailed as an instant classic by the foreign media.

Not only did the world's first Formula One night race throw up a kaleidoscope of entertainment, but it may also signal a path towards a new generation of Grands Prix held under lights in order to maximise the sport's commercial potential, reported The Guardian.

It is easy to imagine F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone coaxing China, Japan and perhaps even India, if it should join the championship schedule, to follow the example of Singapore.

For the moment, the Briton confined himself to praising the new event.

He said: "I am completely satisfied with the job the organisers have done in every way, shape and form.

"They have done a simply magic job with the track here and there are no complaints at all.

"When I originally suggested the notion of Grand Prix racing under lights, people had thought I had gone mad, but the whole Singapore experience has raised the standards for everybody."

Taken to its logical conclusion, the dawn of floodlit racing could spell the end of the traditional F1 season.

The British Grand Prix could, for example, challenge football?s domination of the domestic Boxing Day night programme.

Most British media agreed, however, that trying to top Singapore's Marina Bay backdrop will not be easy.

They had high praise for the image of the race circuit passing under the East Coast Parkway flyover.

The Telegraph wrote: "The sight of the Singapore traffic cruising overhead, as the cars powered around Turn One, was a novel addition to the list of signature corners in F1."

More conventionally, the street circuit threw up a random winner.

Fernando Alonso drove brilliantly to claim his 20th career win, but generously acknowledged the role played by providence after his teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr, bounced off one wall into another to prompt the intervention of the safety car.

Felipe Massa's colourful burst down the pit lane trailing a Ferrari fuel pipe added to the pageant, and to Lewis Hamilton's chances of claiming the world drivers' championship.

Suddenly, after Sunday, F1 occupies an enhanced position in the sporting marketplace.

Said McLaren chief of staff Ron Dennis: "The night race provides F1 with a very powerful tool, because effectively we can target anywhere in the world for what time they watch the race."

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