Bernie Ecclestone is known to favour an ever-expanding F1 calendar, with races on as many weekends as is logistically possible. Almost everyone else working on the sport is excited to visit pastures new, but knows how punishing a 20-race season is, let alone the rumoured 25 the commercial rights holder is seeking.
Traditional European circuits are falling one by one as they fail to find a way to make Formula One make financial sense, let alone a profit. Competing with well-heeled governments is neither practical nor possible in the Old World.
But there is a solution that could - should - keep everybody happy, a way in which FOM can increase its income, circuits can balance the books, and F1 personnel need not kill themselves with over-work and over-travel.
We have 13 currently unused Grade 1 FIA-homologated circuits capable of holding a Formula One event. We also have ongoing interest in race hosting from countries including (but not limited to) Iran, Argentina, Greece, and South Africa. In theory, F1 has a surfeit of options when it comes to putting together a 20-round calendar, yet the sport takes a Groundhog Day approach to returning to the same place year after year.
Instead, why not assemble a fresh calendar every year through a televised lottery in the manner of a World Cup draw, creating anticipation and F1 coverage during one of the sport's weekends off, or during the summer shutdown?
Circuits can register their interest in that year's draw with a $2 million payment to FOM. Each circuit will be assigned to a regional group (Europe, Asia, the Americas, etc.), and the number of races in each region will be fixed: six in Europe, four in Asia, four in the Americas, four in Africa and the Middle East, and two 'wildcard' slots for which all unselected circuits can qualify.
Only selected circuits will be required to pay that year's hosting fee, meaning that the unchosen tracks can spread the cost of their grand prix across two or more years and are not committed to finding tens of millions on an annual basis.
Theoretically, ticket sales should increase as local fans keen to attend 'their' race will rush to buy tickets when the calendar is announced, wary of missing out on an event that is by no means guaranteed to take place on an annual basis.
If there are concerns that a lottery calendar will be dominated by high-rolling modern tracks limited in history, protected event status could be given to selected rounds, ensuring that certain grands prix take place on an annual basis, forming the skeleton on which the rest of the season can be built.
It's the only lottery we can all win at once.