What is the perfect F1 calendar?

Las Vegas was recently touted as a potential future addition to the Formula 1 calendar after Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said he liked the idea of a night race in the American city.

This is not the first time Vegas has been mentioned, nor is it likely to be the last. But at least for now, it appears to remain just an idea.

But with Liberty saying "evolving the calendar" is one of its targets, it raises the question: what is the perfect calendar for F1?

The first thing to decide would be the length. At 21 races, the current version is too long. Those within the paddock believe as much.

The usual end-of-season illness that hits F1 staff began striking before the summer break this year, and people counting the sleeps until they were next in their own bed started even earlier. The strain on the families of those involved is intense.

Equally, 21 weekends is quite a commitment for an F1 fan. Sure, the Premier League season is longer, but a dedicated fan of a particular club can reserve just 90 minutes of their time to following their team each week.

For an F1 fan, to follow everything from practice through to the race requires much of the weekend. So slim it down, back towards the 16-race mark, perhaps 17 at a push. It should start in April and end in October, allowing for a proper off-season and winter break.

Location is the next consideration. Races should be split into three categories - heritage circuits, important and emerging markets and venues that are willing to pay big money to be part of the show. The first category gets seven, the second six and the third three. That leaves one slot for a wildcard race - more on that later.

To qualify for heritage status, the venue must largely meet a criteria of having had a long history in Formula 1, provide a unique spectacle for F1 racing, put on a great event for the fans and attract a passionate and strong crowd. This will ensure the traditional events remain on the calendar each year.

Regarding important and emerging markets, this is where F1 should prove that it is truly global, covering all corners of the earth - where practical - as well as taking F1 to the masses. It would be useful if these markets are beneficial to the manufacturers, to ensure they remain interested in F1, as well as allow for a growth in interest.

The final category essentially provides a means to an end. If some countries want to pay big to use F1 as a promotional vehicle, let them. Some may disagree, feeling the new venues are soulless and fail to attract fans. But with these circuits paying large race fees, it could allow for a discount to ease the financial burden on the heritage circuits.

So how would it come together?

When compiling the current calendar, Monaco is put in situ first and then everything is built around it. F1 without Monaco is sacrilege, so that gets the first heritage spot. It doesn't pay for its race, the fans like it and F1 gets more from being there than not, so it's a win-win for everyone.

Monza would get a slot given it is F1's oldest circuit and most long-standing race. It's a venue of immeasurable importance, boasts a unique layout and challenge to the teams, garners impressive support from the Tifosi and has links to Formula 1's strongest team, Ferrari.

Then there is Spa, arguably the best racetrack in the world. There is nothing quite like it. The 4.3-mile circuit winds its way majestically through the Ardennes forest. It's loved by fans and drivers alike. Money problems have put this race in jeopardy, but in terms of racing challenge and spectacle, few come close.

Next up, is Silverstone, the home of British motorsport. The place oozes history, provides a high-speed challenge the drivers crave and the organisers manage to pack the place out, even on practice day, and then throw in Suzuka, one of the true drivers' tracks, that attracts some of the most F1 fantastical fans in the world.

Brazil's Interlagos is a magical, undulating track. Its climate provides for exciting races, as was evidenced earlier this month. It makes sense that Interlagos is South America's representative.

And finally, F1 wouldn't be the same without a trip to Australia, ticking off that continent in the process. Melbourne is as good a place as any to host the race with its passionate and hardcore crowd, ability to put on a brilliant four-day bumper event for the fans, and a street track that usually delivers exciting racing. But Adelaide was quite a spectacle and other cities might fancy it.

For category two, the United States is an obvious candidate. All the teams realise how important it is to tap into that market and build a following there. Austin's Circuit of the Americas is one of Herman Tilke's finest designs and has gone down well with fans. After rain battered the event last year, the organisers came up with a model that allowed them to attract an impressive 269,889 fans for the 2016 three-day weekend.

F1's presence in North America is so important, keeping the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal is a no-brainer. The venue is stunning, the city has a festival atmosphere during the race weekend and the track is like no other.

With China boasting one fifth of the world's population, F1 should stick with the Shanghai International Circuit. It just needs to find a way to improve the overall event and better promote it to boost enthusiasm for F1 as a whole as well as aiding attendances.

India has a similar population, so further development and work should be put into the Buddh International Circuit or an alternative project to get the race back. At grassroots level, as Force India's academy has shown, there is interest in motor racing from the younger generation, so it's up to the promoter to harness that.

Mexico has proved a hit, having made a stellar return to F1 last year. Its podium in front of the stadium section demonstrates how the organisers understand the importance of making the fans feel involved. While the track is perhaps not the racing challenge it once was, Mexico remains an important market, the event brings huge crowds and works well twinned with Austin, even if the latter isn't so keen on their dates being close.

F1 must break back into Africa. Bernie Ecclestone has long said he wants to return to the continent but there hasn't been a viable option. But earlier this year, it emerged the revamped Kyalami racetrack in South Africa is "close" to being compliant with F1 standard.

That's one option, but Africa has a series of nations capable of hosting an F1. The continent has nine countries in the top 100 ranked by the travel and tourism competitiveness report of 2015 so in terms of infrastructure, they could cope.

And that leaves a slot for Singapore, a race that very quickly became a firm favourite. If speculation that the country no longer wants to host a race should be believed, something should be done to save it. It's a unique spectacle, like no other on the F1 calendar.

The city race atmosphere is one of the high points of the season and with minor tweaks over the years, the circuit has evolved into a better racing challenge.

That just leaves three slots to the highest bidders. Baku will have a good shout, given the amount it pays. Though there were concerns from drivers about certain areas of the track, particularly the run-off, the overall layout went down well.

Vladimir Putin seems keen to continue using F1 to promote Russia. The event wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't at Sochi, where the place several years on from the inaugural race and Winter Olympics is still missing something. Moscow or St Petersburg anyone?

While the racing may not be brilliant, Abu Dhabi certainly puts on a good show in terms of spectacle. The venue and facilities are impressive, too. Bahrain, while rougher around the edges, usually delivers a more exciting race, so like Abu Dhabi, if it still wants to pay, there are far worse tracks than that.

And that leaves just one, the wildcard, which will be decided by fans using social media. It will require five circuits to bid to be part of the vote, and prove that they are capable of hosting the race, with the winner given a spot on the calendar.

The remaining four will be considered for entry on the following year's calendar because there is no reason why the perfect F1 calendar has to remain static. In fact, there's an argument that it should change each year to keep things fresh.

Spain's Circuit de Catalunya, Austria's Red Bull Bring, Germany's Hockenheim, Hungary's Hungaroring and Malaysia's Sepang missed the cut based on races on this year's calendar. All of them, you could argue, meet some of the aforementioned criteria.

There should also be scope for more races in the United States, especially given the size of the country, and the addition of a second South American race. It is believed there is some interest within Argentina, which last hosted a race in 1998 at Buenos Aires, to secure a return.

There is also a long list of countries that have expressed an interest in hosting F1 but are realistic enough to know that with a swelling calendar, admittance is unlikely. Qatar, for example, knows it has little chance while Bahrain and Abu Dhabi are around. If it knew each year offered a new possibility to join, with races getting swapped in and swapped out, perhaps there would be more serious bids.

It could also herald the return of races such as the French Grand Prix, home of the first grand prix in 1906 and a constance presence in the world championship until vanishing from the schedule after 53 years in 2008.

Equally, some venues may not be able to afford to host a race each year - the German GP springs to mind. If it were to only appear on the calendar once every two, three or four years maybe it could develop a model that worked for it.

The Brazilian Grand Prix promoter Tamas Rohonyi believes the position on the calendar does not matter. Though hosting the opening or closing races does carry with it a certain prestige, he's largely right. So why not mix up the positioning of races on the calendar each year. That would make for varying conditions, even if the venue remains the same.

The calendar could head to Barcelona one year when it's cold and then head back when it's sweltering. Australia could host the opener one year, the finale the next and then be round five the next year, for example. It could alternate between Melbourne and Adelaide while in the States, Austin could swap with Long Beach or the New York street race F1 so desperately craves.

F1 needs to keep itself fresh and simply adding more races, while potentially bringing in more money and reaching new audiences, is not necessarily the best way to do it. Perhaps F1's soon-to-be owners could consider mixing it up rather than expanding.

Based on our criteria above, we've put together some options for the next two F1 seasons:

HOW A 2017 CALENDAR COULD LOOK

April 9 Brazil
April 16 Canada
April 30 Bahrain
May 7 South Africa
May 21 Monaco
June 4 Silverstone
June 11 Wildcard
June 25 Azerbaijan
July 9 Belgium
July 16 Italy
August 6 US
August 13 Mexico
August 27 China
September 3 India
September 17 Russia
September 24 Abu Dhabi
October 8 Japan
October 22 Singapore
October 29 Australia

HOW A 2018 CALENDAR COULD LOOK

April 8 Australia
April 15 Singapore
April 29 Qatar (in for Azerbaijan)
May 6 US
May 13 Mexico
May 27 Monaco
June 10 Morocco (in for South Africa)
June 24 Great Britain
July 1 Spain (in for Japan)
July 15 Germany (in for Italy)
July 22 Hungary (in for Belgium)
August 5 Korea (in for Bahrain)
August 26 Russia
September 2 Abu Dhabi
September 16 Wildcard
September 30 India
October 7 China
October 21 Canada
October 28 Brazil