Just when it seems an impasse has been reached between the Formula One teams and Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management over the expanding of the F1 World Championship calendar, along comes nature and blows the sport into a whole new direction.

The two factions have been locked in battle over the shape and size of Formula One's international schedule for many years now, with matters coming to a head last year when Canada, kicked off for this season due a change of tobacco legislation, offered Ecclestone compensation in return for an 18th event - one more than agreed to in the Concorde Agreement.

Confusion surrounds Canada's exact terms, for technically Magny-Cours, at that stage without a valid contract due to protracted indebtedness to Ecclestone, was off the list, thus making Montreal the 17th race. France, confirmed only in January after its sporting authority FIFA struck a deal with FOM, therefore became the 18th event of 2004.

This year, of course, even greater confusion reigns, for Ecclestone holds a contract with newcomer Turkey, while Great Britain, France and San Marino are all endangered.

FOM, which takes an estimated 77% of Formula One's race-related revenues, is pushing hard for 19 and even 20 events per season, whilst the teams, who receive little compensation for extra events - said to be as little as $600,000 amongst the present ten for this year's 18th event - are citing Concorde verbatim whenever the subject is broached.

For a long time now Ecclestone and the FIA have been pushing for 20 races - Ecclestone wants to increase revenues in order to service a $1 billion bond debt, while the FIA wants to decrease testing between events on cost grounds, since the regulations ban testing in the week of a Grand Prix, and the more events, the less the number of weeks available for non-competitive running.

Teams, for their part, point to travel and accommodation costs linked to additional events. With new venues added to the calendar being, by their nature, fly-away events, add-on costs are considerable. Each team takes an average of 80 personnel to a Grand Prix. Sponsors and technical partners add another 200 to the total. And, with the need for 250 tonnes of airfreight to be flown to far-flung corners, the teams do, indeed, have valid gripes.

Extra events don't only impact the teams: journalists, photographers, broadcasters, television crews and merchandising staff are also faced with additional, often unrecoverable expenses.

Any wonder, then, that teams and associated entities are kicking against the expansion, which, all argue, increase revenues to Ecclestone and FOM at substantial costs to others?

So, Formula One finds itself again between a rock and hard place. Well, at least until Typhoon Ma-on blew her way into Asia. The severest of all such weather patterns to hit the region this year, Ma-on caused the Japanese authorities to close down the entire region on Saturday, in particular Suzuka and environs, which were packed with myriad temporary structures, most operating on high voltages.

The FIA was quick to react and rescheduled proceedings as allowed in the sporting regulations in instances of force majeure, which a typhoon most certainly is. So, Saturday's two 90-minute practice Sessions were cancelled, and qualifying was moved to Sunday morning. The race, in any event scheduled to start 30 minutes later than standard, was left to commence unchanged at 14:30, as the governing body reasoned that sufficient time existed between end of Qualifying and the start of the 53-lap event for the checks and replacements allowed under Parc Ferme regulations.

Sunday proved overwhelmingly that it is eminently feasible to run compact Grand Prix weekends, with proceedings spread over just two days. Sure, the Japanese Grand Prix was effectively held on Friday and Sunday, with the ‘non-day' falling between two action days, but, if anything, the work load to teams, media and organisers was higher than during traditional events for all erected kit was dismantled, stored, then re-erected in time for what turned out to be a great, if poorly televised, race. By all accounts, all teams managed superbly, and what hiccups there were could surely be smoothed with experience and procedure.

Two-day Grands Prix, most agreed, are the way for F1's future. Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn positively gushed about the format, as did others - although Michael Schumacher, for instance, did keep his enthusiasm for the concept well in check.

Suggested format, then? Activities during Grand Prix weekends are generally scheduled as follows:

Thursday  15:00 - 16:00  FIA Media Conference

Friday    11:00 - 12:00  1st Practice Session (60 mins)

          14:00 - 15:00  2nd Practice Session (60 mins)

Saturday  09:00 - 09:45  3rd Practice Session (45 mins)

          09:45 - 11:00  4th Practice Session (45 mins)

          13:00 - 13:50  Pre-qualifying (1 flying lap)

          14:00 - 15:00  Qualifying (1 flying lap)

          Parc Ferme

Sunday    11:15 - 11:30  Drivers' Parade 

          13:30 - 13:45  Pitlane Opens

          14:00 -        Race

Total F1 running time amounts to 210 minutes free practice, two flying laps in qualifying and around 300kms in the race. Then, support events - such as practice and races for F3000 (or the new-for-2005 GP2 championship), and the traditional Porsche Supercup series - are scheduled around the F1 events in most instances. Certain promoters - Melbourne, for example - offer additional side-shows, and others (like Imola) provide zero activity aside from the aforementioned officially sanctioned events.

Coupled to present Grand Prix formats are minimum four night stays for those without private or corporate jets, totalling 8,000 bed/nights per Grand Prix, or 136,000 during the course of a single season.

Following Suzuka's example, the schedule for a two-day Grand Prix weekend could be:

Friday    15:00 - 16:00  FIA Media Conference

Saturday  09:00 - 10:00  1st Practice Session (60 mins)

          11:00 - 12:00  2nd Practice Session (60 mins)

          14:00 - 15:00  3rd Practice Session (60 mins)

Sunday    09:00 - 09:30  Warm up (decides Qualifying order)

          10:00 - 11:00  Qualifying (1 flying lap)

          Parc Ferme through to 14:00

          11 30 - 11:30  Drivers' Parade 

          14:00 - 14:15  Pitlane Opens

          14:30 -        Race

Such a format would still provide 210 minutes of pre-race running, with the loss of only 1 flying lap per competitor, whilst saving 2000 bed/nights per Grand Prix, or 34,000 per season - as well as, of course, the associated communications and travel costs.

The best is still to come, though; such change enables an increase to 20 events per season, thus preserving traditional events, whilst creating opportunities for emerging territories. Three additional events consume 6000 bed/nights per season, leaving F1 approximately 28,000 to the good, whilst providing 630 minutes total additional practice time, plus three entire races. The value of saved bed/nights more than compensates for costs of flights to additional territories, particularly if judiciously scheduled.

In short, the entire sport - teams, sponsors, the full media spectrum and circuit owners - benefits from 17.5% additional track activity at zero or little additional cost, with, of course, FOM benefiting the most, which gives the format every chance of succeeding…

Fans, too, benefit, for they would have no need to slope off work on Fridays so as not to miss action on the busiest of preliminary days, whilst those travelling from afar would save a night away from home. Memorabilia merchandisers, too, score: instead of offering wares at 17 venues over three days, they would do so at 20 circuits over two days, and their sales are linked to exposure, not duration.

In fact, the only losers could be tourism businesses in close proximity to present venues, for they would lose up to 25% of the revenues generated for them by the Grand Prix. But, really, do operations that have traditionally ripped off fans, officials, and the media through massive overcharging over the years - by 500% in the case of Magny-Cours - really deserve mercy? And, should prices be further increased or minimum stay periods be introduced to compensate, a very good case could be made for the removal of the Grand Prix from the area completely.

Of course, 20 events of whatever format are still contrary to the provisions of the Concorde Agreement, but with teams presently haggling with Ecclestone over larger slices of F1's revenue cake, conditional acquiescence to two-day events substantially increases their bargaining power - whilst, from an FIA point-of-view, more events mean, simply, less testing. In fact, with increased overall track time during weekends, a case can be made for a ban on testing between March and October, save for three structured one-week periods in, say, May, July and September - thus negating any suggestions by teams that additional events add to running costs..

For once Formula One is faced with a truly win/win situation. Let us all hope it does not waste it.

So, on the day after the FIA celebrates its formation 100 years ago - after nobility and gentry from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy met during the Gordon Bennett Cup race at Bad Homburg in Germany with a view to formalising international motorsport - the body puts out its 2005 Formula One calendar.

And, guess what? The six countries whose trailblazing folk sat around the table in that picturesque spa/casino town situated a few kilometres north of Frankfurt, are the very ones whose 2005 events have question marks attached to them, if at all allocated! Yes, take a run through the 2005 provisional calendar and note that the A1-Ring event is no more (has not been for a year now), Nurburgring's race is to be confirmed, Magny-Cours, Imola and Silverstone are pocked by an asterisks, and Spa - whilst seemingly unmolested - is under review after heavy-handed police action.

Apart from those mentioned above, the United States and Chinese events are also to be confirmed, but is it purely coincidental that America was one of the next countries to join the FIA, and that the last major motor race held before the FIA issued its first-ever calendar in 1908 was the inaugural Paris - Peking epic, which happened to be the first race to be run to proper regulations? Now, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it usually is a duck…

Analysis of the calendar, though, suggests 19 races will be held next year, even if contrary to the conditions of the Concorde Agreement (as outlined in the previous item), and will probably be run broadly to the format suggested above. Of course the teams will squeal, and of course there will be horse-trading, but, as always, a last-minute solution will be found in a sport which prides itself upon split-second timing.

The first uncertain event is France's, and until it settles debts run up by its previous promoter, the future of France as a host nation, despite its illustrious past, will continue to be in doubt. But, the circuit was built by then-President Francois Mitterrand in his constituency as a political ploy, so France's politicians must either put up or shut up. Here's guessing they will put up, and then shut up.

Next is Imola, whose quaint circuit's shortcomings were described in this column two weeks ago and, subject to a massive rebuilding commitment, the show will go on at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari for a few more years. But, right now Imola is probably the most endangered venue on the calendar.

On to the 'Newburgring', then. Safe for now, its date remains to be confirmed alongside because, sources say, it originally accepted a date a month before, so will now have to confirm acceptance of a revised slot. Longer term, though, the circuit has been put on notice that it may have to rotate with Hockenheim on a two-year cycle. As with the other events under provision, the final date will be officially known on December 10th, but marketing material available before then will provide an indicator.

The US GP remains to be confirmed simply as it originally laid claim to the date of June 12th - then changed to June 26th - and will now have to accept the date of June 19th if a back-to-back race with Canada's, as seems sensible, is to be run. Again, plenty of horse-trading in the weeks to come.

Silverstone will happen, eventually, on July 3rd, but until December 10th (and, if necessary, beyond) this whipping horse provides FOM with bargaining elements, as Bernie Ecclestone views it as a 'cheap' race for 60% of teams, most of whose bosses are members, as he is, of circuit owner BRDC.

Finally, Shanghai was placed last on the 2005 calendar - which, in times of Ferrari's Red Washes, can be a poisoned chalice. Let us not forget, though, that newcomers have generally been given back-end dates after their first race: Japan got shifted there, before getting the penultimate slot after Australia joined, then Malaysia became 2000's final event, having been second-last in its inaugural year.

Shanghai, though, remains to be confirmed because Brazil, previously the final event, moves up a month, and Shanghai needs persuading to accept a change of date to facilitate a back-to-back race with Suzuka - itself under medium-term pressure, now that the beautiful Toyota-owned Mount Fuji circuit has been Tilke'd and applied for a 2007 date.