Where next for F1?

With France closing in on a return to the calendar, we look at some of the other countries with sights set on joining the F1 party...

With France believed to be heading the queue, we bring you a round-up of the venues jostling for position for a chance to bend Bernie's ear: France
The demise of the French GP after the little-loved Magny-Cours circuit staged its final race in 2008 coincided with the nation's well of driving talent running dry, a sad indictment on the country that invented grand prix racing at the start of the 20th century. However, 2012 is already proving something of a renaissance, with not only three young, hugely-promising drivers suddenly all having found seats on the grid but France also set to stage a Grand Prix once more at Paul Ricard. Speculation of the event's return went into overdrive last week when news leaked that French Prime Minister Francois Fillon was visiting the circuit near Marseille. Although such talk proved slightly premature, Fillon did confirm that the much-mooted proposal of holding a race at Paul Ricard every other season - with Belgium its most likely alternating partner - was progressing, with the idea given a provisional green light by Bernie Ecclestone. A return could come as early as next season but Paul Ricard - which staged 14 Grands Prix between 1971 and 1990 before being transformed into a high-tech test facility - is likely to require some work to be ready for F1 again given its current dearth of grandstands. Thailand
Over the past decade or so Formula 1's presence in Asia has exploded, with almost as many grands prix now held in the Far East as the sport's traditional heartland of Europe. But while the ever-pressurised calendar appears more than adequately stocked in this corner of the globe, reports have recently surfaced that Thailand wants in on the action. Indeed confirmation that talks with Ecclestone were taking place came from Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz no less, the company having had links to Thailand through its co-owner Chaleo Yoovidhya, who died last month. "The idea is good. We are in talks," Mateschitz told the Bankok Post. "Thailand could host a Formula 1 race in the next two or three years. Ecclestone agrees with the idea. We may sign an agreement soon." Thailand's interest in F1 was whetted in late 2010 when Red Bull's Mark Webber staged a street demonstration in Bangkok and local reports have suggested that the country's Tourism and Sports Minister recently held what were described as "constructive" discussions with concerned parties over running a street race through Bangkok. Argentina
Brazil has been Formula 1's only South American point of call since Argentina dropped off the schedule in 1998 for financial reasons. As the birthplace of the great Juan-Manuel Fangio, the country had been an intermittent feature on the calendar since the early days of the F1 World Championship, with the race run on several different incarnations of the same Buenos Aires circuit. With Argentina hardly a hotbed for young driving talent anymore - Gaston Mazzacane was the last Argentine to compete in a Grand Prix 11 years ago - its F1 days appeared firmly over but increasingly speculation suggests the country could be back on the calendar sooner rather than later. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has recently spoken about bringing the sport back to the country as early as 2013, with any proposal believed to centre around the resort city of Mar del Plata. As with France, watch this space... South Africa
The country's successful staging of the football World Cup in 2010 put it firmly back into the international sporting spotlight and so it was rather inevitable that speculation that F1 could return for the first time since 1993 would follow. Ecclestone has put on record on several occasions since then that South Africa is on his radar, with plans for a street venue along Cape Town's Green Point coastline under the shadow of Table Mountain mooted at the start of last year. Mexico
Even before the rise of Sergio Perez, Ecclestone had named Mexico along with South Africa as a country he wants to join the calendar once the inaugural Russian GP is up and running. Two proposals for potential F1 events surfaced last year, one centering around the beach resort of Cancun while the other featured a revamped Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City that hosted all the country's previous Grands Prix prior to its demise in 1992. A future return to Mexico received the endorsement of FIA President of Jean Todt who said: "Today Mexico has a strong economy and I am convinced that in the future this will be possible." Adelaide/Perth/Sydney
Doubts over the long-term future of Melbourne as the home of the Australian GP owing to the high costs of the event to the Victoria state purse has developed into a yearly saga. With the venue's contract currently due to expire in 2015, the most recent speculation at this year's race suggested that, following the trend seen in Europe, Melbourne could share race rights with either Sydney or Perth - although such a notion was quickly knocked on the head by Australian GP Chairman Ron Walker. A more feasible alternative appears a direct rival, with noises continuing that Adelaide could look to get one back over Melbourne for nabbing the race off them in 1996. Hong Kong
Much like nearby Thailand, Hong Kong was won over by F1 following the success of one of Red Bull's street demonstrations there last year. An estimated 43,000 people turned out to see Jaime Alguersuari put one of the World Champions' cars through its paces and the city-state's automobile association head Wesley Wan said at the time: "This is the first step in gaining the support of the people. We want to raise the exposure of Formula 1 by staging this live show, and I hope it will lead to Hong Kong hosting a grand prix race one day." Little else has been heard about any Hong Kong F1 bid since, however. Iran
Okay, we admit the chances of F1 going to Iran appear a little far-fetched, but let us assure you that this is no slightly belated April Fools' joke. Last year, a few media eyebrows were raised - to say the least - when details of plans emerged for the Tehran-based TSI Group to build a big new race facility on the outskirts of the capital. Under the name of iLand, the project centres around the construction of a 5km track which the press release at the time described as being in "the style of the classic 'naturally contoured' circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Donington Park". The plans also include the construction of several driver training centres with the circuit design being penned by UK agency Apex Circuit Design. Bernie is always capable of springing a surprise or two, of course, but with one Middle East venue already causing enough political headaches at the moment, we think he'll give this one a miss just now...