Alonso happy for it to rain in Singapore.

Fernando Alonso has admitted that he would not be disappointed to see the rain that has followed recent Formula One races continue at this weekend's inaugural Singapore Grand Prix.

The Spaniard's Renault has struggled for pace for much of the 2008 season but, after taking successive fourth place finishes in Belgium and Italy, he reckons that mixed conditions could give him the best chance of similar success in the city state.

While admitting that he would favour dry conditions on Friday so that he has the best chance of learning the 23-corner layout around the city streets, the double world champion says that, despite the perceived dangers of racing in the wet under lights in what will be Formula One's first night race, he would rather Sunday be a mix of wet and dry conditions so that he can maintain his recent run of results.

"I think I'd prefer the weather to perhaps be changing," he told the Spanish media, "Maybe, if Saturday and Friday were without rain so that we could see the circuit in the dry and be able to get to know it well, we could then take advantage of the wet if it rains on Sunday.

"We have seen that rains at some point during a race always seems to be enough to change the order and make the cars more equal. We can profit from that because, if it is a normal race, in the dry, we know it is going to be a difficult one for us. Ferrari and McLaren will surely be in another world and we will be left to fight for the last positions in the points. If the race is wet, there is the possibility of something more. It has rained in each of the last two races and we have finished fourth, so it seems that, provided that there is a little variation in the conditions, when they become a little more difficult, we can profit."

With Renault locked in combat with Toyota for fourth place in the constructors' championship, Alonso knows that he may need more than just Singapore to be wet, but he remains optimistic.

"It is true that, in Japan, China and Brazil for the last four or five years, it has always rained," he pointed out, "so we must concentrate fully to make use of that and score as many points as possible. We have recovered ten points in the two last races, and it would be disappointing to waste that effort, so we are going to give it everything between now and the end of the season."

Despite the determination, however, Alonso insisted that it would be inappropriate to think above what has been possible so far for Renault, even though Toro Rosso surprised the F1 pack with victory in the wet-dry Italian Grand Prix.

"Monza was a great race in difficult conditions and we managed to pull off a surprise [with fourth place]," the Spaniard pointed out, "It was far from expected because we knew that Monza would be the most difficult race of the year for us, but we came away with five points and closed the gap on Toyota, so it's a positive result. It's a little frustrating to just miss out on a podium once again, but we still have four races left to go.

"However, to expect a victory in these last four races would be a sin of exaggerated optimism because, after 13 or 14 grands prix, my best position has been fourth. Believing that there will be a miracle in the last four races would be too much."

After the Italian Grand Prix started behind the safety car due to the amount of standing water at Monza, Alonso has said that he would not be surprised - in fact, he would be happy - to see similar precautions taken in Singapore.

"Any wet race is dangerous, and that danger will be greater because the race is at night," he noted, "Doing 300km/h in those conditions would not be a very nice sensation, and it is a doubt that we all have. I do not know what measures will be taken, whether the safety car will be used, but it is something that we will speak to the race director about when we arrive in Singapore.

"From the spectators' point of view, racing at night will certainly make it an exciting event - and that is why we are having a night race - but, as drivers, we will have to see what the conditions are like when we get there. We have not been able to practice in these conditions and there will certainly be a lot of adapting to do. I'm not convinced that [night racing] will be the future of motor racing, but I am still curious to see what it's like."