Singapore falls short of Montezemolo vote.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has expressed concerns over this weekend's inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, but not because the race is being run under lights.

While others have questioned the decision to stage the first event in the city state after dark, di Montezemolo has raised doubts over the potential for excitement, comparing the street circuit to that in Valencia, which produced the most processional event of the summer so far.

Although Ferrari triumphed in the second Spanish event of the season, di Montezemolo - along with many others - was disappointed to see that there was very little overtaking, as the combination of fast straights and quick corners failed to produce the sort of close-quarters racing that can be seen in Monaco, even if the most iconic street track of them all often also falls short on overtaking.

The Marina Bay circuit has many similarities with Valencia, which also debuted on the 2008 schedule, and features 23 corners in its 5.067km length as it winds between landmarks such as the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel, the Esplanade, Raffles Boulevard and the Anderson Bridge. It also claims to have the fastest street circuit corner, the 300km/h turn six, but di Montezemolo remains unconvinced by its suitability for F1.

Even as many of his peers are quoted as enthusiastically looking forward to heading east for the new event, and the challenges of running under lights, the Italian remains outspoken and doubting.

"I have the impression it will be another one of those letdowns where you cannot overtake, like Valencia," he told journalists at Mugello over the weekend, "Going forward with these circuits heralds a bad future for Formula One."

Ferrari heads to Singapore with a diminishing lead in the constructors' championship, but with Felipe Massa having closed to within a single point of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' championship - pending the outcome of Monday's FIA appeal court hearing into the result of the Belgian Grand Prix.

"For the eleventh consecutive year, Ferrari are fighting for the title," di Montezemolo pointed out, "Williams, McLaren, Renault come and go, but we are always there."