While Bernie Ecclestone seeks new venues, and applies pressure to existing ones, FIA President Max Mosley has warned that there is a long way to go before approval will be given for a Formula One night race.

Speaking in Monaco, Mosley admitted that despite talk of at least two or three venues considering such a project, the FIA has yet to receive an official application, which in itself would only then get the process underway.

"The thing is, we've not actually had any application to run a night race yet," said the Englishman. "There are no criteria. If and when we get an application to run a night race, that will have to go to the circuit commission, and that will in turn go to the safety commission, and eventually the World Council.

"And there will be criteria," he warned, "there will be criteria for Armco, safety barriers, run-off areas. There would have to be criteria for the lighting, and all this would need to be looked at.

"We obviously would not approve a night race unless we were satisfied with the safety levels," he added."

He concluded with a comment which appears to suggest that he and Ecclestone are not singing from the same hymn sheet

"I suspect that, as is also usual with new circuits, that we would want to run some sort of other racing that way (at night) before we committed the World Championship."