Lewis Hamilton may have to fight through choking smog on his way to a third world title as the Singapore Grand Prix battles thick smoke from Southeast Asian forest fires.

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The Briton enjoys a strong lead in the Formula One standings and would miss out on a chance to draw further ahead if organisers take the extreme, and so far unlikely, action of cancelling Sunday’s race.

But visibility could be a serious concern at the night grand prix, held under floodlights on a narrow and bumpy street circuit which snakes past the iconic landmarks of downtown Singapore.

Organisers stressed there were no plans to change the race programme but warned in a statement: “The haze situation is highly changeable not only from day to day, but from hour to hour.

“Therefore, it is currently not possible to reliably predict what the PSI (pollutant standards index) level might be over the race weekend.”

PSI levels will be shown on the circuit’s big screens and surgical face masks sold at cost price, while medical posts will be on standby for breathing and eye problems.

In just one of many activities affected by the annual haze problem, a race simulator event involving McLaren’s Jenson Button yesterday was moved indoors “due to the current hazy conditions”, organisers said.