36 replies to this topic

[Hunt the Shunt Fan]

I subscribe to Autosport, F1 racing, and Motor Sport. What I want to know about is Bernie's new F1 magazine. They don't sell it around here so I have never seen one. Is it any good? How does it compare to F1 Racing? Also, anybody read Motor Sport News? Any good? I'm thinking about subscribing to that one too. Does Bernies magazine have a U.S. phone number for people in the U.S. to call or is there an e-mail address for people in North America?

Much Thanks!

[mikedeering]

I've bought every copy so far (about 9 I think) and I can definitely say it is getting poorer...

Every edition has a feature on how godly Ayrton Senna was.

Particularly good this month was the feature on his greatest race, which was apparently Monaco 92 - yes the same race where he inherited victory due to Mansell's car trouble near the end. fair enough he held a faster car back for 5 laps - but this was Monaco! Bernoldi perfomred the same feat this year for 40 odd laps...

Secondly, it has John Watson doing some road car test - not exactly F1...

Thirdly, Tom Rubython writes for them - and I have slowly developed a real hatred for this man owing to his articles - I just don't agree with him.

However, it's saving grace is that Mansell writes a column - it is brilliant the way he compares how easy it is now to his day - when men were men. Hmmm, no I have never driven F1, but I bet it was easier in 92 with all the gizmos than it is now!

[bira]

please use the search facility of this Bulletin Board when you have a question. There is more chances than none it has already been answered.

In this particular case, it has been asked and answered ad nauseam.

[Hunt the Shunt Fan]

mikedeering, is there a phone number or e-mail address for North America (U.S.A.)?

Thanks

[troyf1]

Hey I live in the USA and bought a subscription to F1 Magazine. I ordered it throught the magazines web site...www.f1magazine.net
I subscribe to both magazines and to be honest I like F1 Magazine better simply because the magazine is bigger and has less BS than F1 Racing. The photography in both are pretty good although I might have to give F1 Racing magazine the edge. If you are a F1 junkie like the rest of us here on Atlas I would certainly recommend it.

[Richard Jenkins]

Although Bira is absoluety right (as always) in saying there is another threadfor this, I will just add my comments here rather than the other thread as I bought it today for the first time, just for something to read & although it has it's weak points, this issue features on Yoong, Marques & Enge - nice to see different faces being interviewed, rather than Senna. Some of it is written badly - but other features are a treat. So, generally, yes, it's pretty good.

[tim]

I usually find it to be very good. It seems to be getting a bit thinner but it's well worth the money. Most of the articles are great. It doesn't just stick to contemporary F1: there have been excellent articles about Jimmy Clark and Jochen Rindt. The photography is first-rate, as are the race reports. John Barnard (ex Ferrari) and Giorgio Piola (ex Autosport) do the technical stuff and Nigel Mansell is the Editor in Chief. Irv also "writes" a column for it.

Here's what's in the latest issue (11/2001):

Gilles Villeneuve
James Hunt's first victory
Murray Walker
Luca di Montezemolo
Bette Hill (Graham's wife, Damon's mum)
Senna in Monaco 1992
Heroes and Villains (why some drivers are loved and others are hated)
Ove Andersson
Kimi Raikonnen
Alex Yoong
Tomas Enge
Tarso Marques
Preview of Suzuka, including Ralf's guide to the track
Review of Monza + team round-ups
Review of Indy + team round-ups
John Watson roadtests a Corvette C5
Monza technical analysis
Indy technical analysis
Bridgestone & its tyres

F1 Mag is my favourite at the moment. It is much less jingoistic than F1 Racing and Autosport and is generally less tabloid than the former (apart from Jayne Nottage's glamour column, which is usually fairly amusing and features drivers' wives/girlfriends all the time).

[Louis Mr. F1]

Richie,
the one you have is it the latest one? the reason is I've sent a mail to the magazine with some suggestion about 2 weeks ago and I'd like to see if it's published or not. It won't be here until another 10 days. If you have the time, can you check for me please, I used Louis as my name.
anyone has sent a mail to them before and did they take note?

I hope there is no more "celebrities articles" they are really a waste of paper.

[Hunt the Shunt Fan]

Thanks for the link troyF1. All I needed to know. Now how about Motor sport news? I assume they only sell this in the U.K. but you can order it from ewa cars in New Jersey. Any British folks read this magazine (paper)?

Thanks

[mikedeering]

Originally posted by Louis Mr. F1
Richie,
the one you have is it the latest one? the reason is I've sent a mail to the magazine with some suggestion about 2 weeks ago and I'd like to see if it's published or not. It won't be here until another 10 days. If you have the time, can you check for me please, I used Louis as my name.
anyone has sent a mail to them before and did they take note?

I hope there is no more "celebrities articles" they are really a waste of paper.

Your note isn't there - however I think the latest edition only came out on October 12, so if you only sent it two weeks ago it may have missed the deadline...

Actually, I flicked through the latest issue and it's not so bad - it has a classic Murray Walker top gaffes page - some of those are hilarious. And I agree the historical stuff is good - James Hunt's first win for example.

[Louis Mr. F1]

thanks for checking.

[SennasCat]

I subscribe to Atlas (obviously), F1 Magazine and F1 Racing.

F1 Racing - good, but not as in depth. Still OK.

F1 Magazine - despite the fact that I think it has been co-edited by Magic and co, it is still the very best. Great articles, indepth coverage - but it still is impartial (ie it also shows the bad side of F1 and doesn't gloss over it).

If I could only get 1 - it would be F1 magazine

[Mat]

The only main gripe for is that there are too many Senna articles.

[Indian Chief]

Originally posted by Mat
The only main gripe for is that there are too many Senna articles.

...And the really awful articles by Jane Nottage. Fire her, Bernie.

[vroom-vroom]

Well, I bought the French version of F1 Magazine, and I couldn't believe the piece of garbage it was. It is being edited by Pierre Van Vliet and the articles and captions are so dumb, it's embarassing. There was a whole feature about a blonde female fan who tried to work in F1 circles but didn't make it. Who cares? Another was about how Van Vliet got away from a speeding violation in Germany. Who cares again? I say it again: an embarassment. F1 Racing is much, much better, IMO.

[Oscar Jack]

F1 Mag is pretty good, some interesting articles, interviews with lesser known names, some great photographs and technical reports. Although it also has a fair amount of trivia, such as road car tests for Gawd's sake...

But Oh Dear! That man Rubython - he is the most biased, petty, mis-informed (or do I mean mis-informing?) and spiteful writer I have ever read. And quite a few of his articles have been directly contradicted in the very same issue - eg his truly dreadful attempted character assassination of Ron Dennis at Jack Brabham's 1970 GP DNF when he ran out of fuel. Later on in the same mag, a completely different version of the very same event gives the real facts.

I think F1 Racing is pretty good if a bit light weight in some of its articles, great photos and some interesting interviews. But actually the most amusing, although not necessarily the most comprehensive, mag is IMO the F1 News. However, it is not always easy to get hold of.

If you are interested, I will try to get a url for you?

[mikedeering]

Originally posted by Oscar Jack
But Oh Dear! That man Rubython - he is the most biased, petty, mis-informed (or do I mean mis-informing?) and spiteful writer I have ever read. And quite a few of his articles have been directly contradicted in the very same issue - eg his truly dreadful attempted character assassination of Ron Dennis at Jack Brabham's 1970 GP DNF when he ran out of fuel. Later on in the same mag, a completely different version of the very same event gives the real facts.

I cannot agree more - Rubython seems to be out to make a name for himself - I believe he also wrote an article on Jochen Rindt, the prime focus of which focused on allegations that Piers Courage was having an affair with Nina Rindt, and Jochen was sleeping with Piers' wife...

1) Quite why anyone following F1 is interested in this is beyond me...
2) Why whatever happened has to be dragged up 20 odd years later? Apparently the Rindt family were upset at the article - and the magazine had to carry an apology the next month.

[RaggedEdge]

Unfortunately F1 Magazine indeed seems to have developed a hatred towards McLaren, which is somewhat in line with Bernie's actions, so I am not that surprised.

Really a shame, though. Niki Lauda being replaced by Nigel Mansell could patch things up a little bit, but judging from the last issue this is not the case yet. Last thing we need is a "serious" version of F1 Racing..

[Suzy]

I am inclined to agree with all the posters who've complained about F1 Magazine and their attempts to discredit McLaren at every opportunity. I admit that I ought to be moaning to F1 Magazine themselves rather than whinging on a bulletin board but I don't believe that they'd take any notice of what I would say. Their letters page contains criticism of the magazine each month and they don't answer it, respond to it or acknowledge it. The result being: what's the point in complaining?

Right from the first issue, every month contains an attack on McLaren and Mika and it really isn't necessary. I really just cannot understand why they seem to need to run the same articles each month:

An article about Ayrton Senna
An article about Michael Schumacher
An attack on McLaren and Mika Hakkinen
An article about who David Coulthard has dated in the past week
An article by the Publisher who seems keen to libel everybody in F1 with totally irrelevant articles

Is it any wonder that teams such as BAR and McLaren refuse to have anything to do with the magazine? BAR won't allow the magazine in their garage, motorhomes or in the factory. Nobody at McLaren even speaks to any journalist who is associated with the magazine - even though those journalists work for other publications too. What has happened is that those journalists have found themselves "frozen out" if you like - they clearly thought that by working for Bernie's magazine they would have unrivalled access to the teams and drivers. In effect the reverse has happened with people not touching them with a bargepole. Respected journalists like Joe Saward are suddenly finding themselves unable to get interviews even for other publications. It doesn't matter if they attack McLaren every month or Ferrari, I am still annoyed (incidentally I like both McLaren and Ferrari but I've noticed the McLaren attacks).

There's an article on www.planet-f1.com which indicates that Bernie is trying to offload the magazine already. Perhaps a new Editorial team who are interested in promoting Formula One instead of bringing it to its knees is what is required. I'll do it!

[Williams]

There's an article on www.planet-f1.com which indicates that Bernie is trying to offload the magazine already. Perhaps a new Editorial team who are interested in promoting Formula One instead of bringing it to its knees is what is required. I'll do it!

Suzy, you go girl ! The only thing is, I'd like to see a magazine that is willing to dish out a bit of criticism and publish some of the inside stories the way F1 Mag does, rather than yet another overly-politically-correct boot-licking paper magazine which grinds out more F1-promotional pap every month. We already have enough of those.

On the issue of teams clamming up and not talking to F1 Mag journalists, it's sad that F1 news can be controlled so easily. I'd like to see some of the other magazines take a more aggressive stance to news reporting in the pitlane, to compete with F1 Mag, rather than everyone now deciding to toe the party line.

[Oscar Jack]

I absolutely agree that independent and impartial reporting of the news is greatly to be welcomed. I also enjoy reading informed criticism and sensible opinions - provided that such criticism and opinions are clearly presented as such rather than wilfully dressed up as facts which are in fact LIES, innuendo and (in the case of most of Rubython's outpourings) downright libel.

I was not aware that some of the teams have refused to have anything to do with F1Mag - but am really not surprised. Presumably Ron Dennis and McLaren are top of their "hate" list because RD spoke out against the magazine after its lurid story on Neweygate...

Still, apart from its prejudices it is still a fascinating F1 publication for us poor sops who don't have Paddock Passes and only manage to get to one GP a year.

[Louis Mr. F1]

looking at the link, it shows this issue it has Murrary Walker on the cover. Well i was disappointed, not that i don't like him, but I think as a two time World Champion, Mika deserves to be on the cover at least once, especially now that he has announced his retirement. It's the same with F1 Racing, they rarely used Mika as the cover boy, he isn't that bad? I hope there will be a good article on his retirement and some inside stories (though not likely judging by the above anti-McLaren comments) I am disappointed because the magazine has so much potential to do better but not. They must change their approach quick.

someone also mentioned that it's getting thin. I noticed it very early. The first issue 250 pages, then it steadily reduces, now it seems to settle with 190. Which is 1/4 less than before. I think they were using this approach to "trick" people into subscribing their magazine by a very thick early issues. Can a subscriber actually complain about this unethical practice? REason, if I subscribed, I would expect the # of pages would be around 250 pages, +/- 10 pages, but not -60 pages !!!!?
And, i still think the 1st issue is the best so far. Since then, there were some good articles, but the overall quality of the magazine deteriorated.

[bira]

Louis, the test would be the advertisement/editorial ratio.

Count how many pages - of the 250 - are ads. Say the total is 50 ads page. The ratio would be 1:5 (20% ads).

Now do the same for the current issue, and see if the ratio has changed and how.

If it remained the same or even improved towards editorial, then you have no valid grounds to complain.

Cheers,

Bira

[Peeko]

I don't mind the mag, but I really think it can do without the gossip crap about who was seen with who and blah blah blah. Also I don't find the Actual race reports(summary, not the weekend breakdowns) that informative, and find their attempt at stereotypical humor in the reports a nuisance.

[Louis Mr. F1]

Bira, ok to stretch things to extreme, if it's ok to reduce the # of pages to any you want as long as it's within the ratio. Then how about reduce to 10 pages with 2 pages of advertisement is still ok? of course the magazine will go out of business very soon, but the regulation doesn't protect the subscribed public.

well, i can complain that they should reduce their price according to the actual % of pages reduced.
what do you think?

[Suzy]

Originally posted by Williams


Suzy, you go girl ! The only thing is, I'd like to see a magazine that is willing to dish out a bit of criticism and publish some of the inside stories the way F1 Mag does, rather than yet another overly-politically-correct boot-licking paper magazine which grinds out more F1-promotional pap every month. We already have enough of those.

On the issue of teams clamming up and not talking to F1 Mag journalists, it's sad that F1 news can be controlled so easily. I'd like to see some of the other magazines take a more aggressive stance to news reporting in the pitlane, to compete with F1 Mag, rather than everyone now deciding to toe the party line.

Okay where shall I go? Actually, don't answer that:) I'm not against negative reporting, but it's when it becomes personal, libellous reporting where stories are twisted to sell more copies. In the Planet-F1 article, it states that some of the writers have had their articles almost rewritten from what they submitted.

I don't feel it is a case of F1 news being "controlled". Nobody refuses to talk to Bira do they? Teams and drivers are quite happy to talk to most of the press. It's just that F1 Magazine are resorting to antagonising people and if the teams don't talk to them then they make up a story. Look at Neweygate: they claimed to have the whole story only for the two teams involved to issue a very harsh statement.

Louis Mr. F1: There is a story about Mika in the latest copy of the issue and Ron has kicked up a real stink over it. The article claims to have the real story on why Mika is taking a break - but they haven't been able to provide any evidence and Ron says it's a load of rubbish anyway. The article implies that Ron forced Mika to take a break and that Mika is being paid for his year off. Both Ron and Mika have strongly refuted the suggestions.

Of course, if the teams get really upset then they should sue F1 Magazine - but I expect it would only lead to even more negative reporting on that team in future issues.

[mono-posto]

The absolute best aspect of F1 mag is Giorgio Piola's technical illustrations. If your a Tech freak like me, this is worth the price of the mag alone.

Like anything else, there are good articles and bad. However the race reviews and technical reviews tend to be alot more comprehensive than any other publication. And in 10-15 years, when you have a stack of these in your attic, good comprehensive race reviews will be more valuable to you than a story on Jenson Buttons clothing line.

Considering I can get F1 Mag cheaper than F1 Racing, and it has more content and generally better content, that is where I would put my money.

(As a side note, I haven't bought a copy of F1 Racing in nearly two years. It tends to remind me of a daytime Soap Opera)

[Hunt the Shunt Fan]

Well, after reading everyone's post on this topic I went from wanting to subscribe to wanting to stay way clear of it. Maybe I will stick with Autosport, F1 racing, and Motor Sport, and the internet.

[HSJ]

IMO F1 Mag is the best, by a good margin too. They seem to have better "inside" information, IMO anyway, plus they seem more objective (i.e. unbiased, less tabloid-like) than the rest. Then comes Autosport, and last F1 Racing. Still, I read them all, but only subscribe to F1 Mag and buy the others on a "need-to-buy" basis only.

[Williams]

HTSF, excuse the plug, but may I suggest if you looking for another F1 Mag to subscribe to let me suggest going with a non-paper one: Atlas F1 Magazine. Cheaper than your typical paper magazine, and it's easier to search back through old issues on your computer than physically sorting through that big pile in your closet.

Bira's latest coupe is an exclusive interview with Michael Schumacher, but, unlike the usual interviews we see in print, Bira is able to ask a lot of the questions which get discussed right here on this BB, but which somehow always seem to be missing from the paper magazine interviews. It's a great read, and just one of many others found in AtlasF1 Mag.

[FredF1]

Oh alright Williams you've convinced me.

There.

I've signed up.

Does Bira pay you commission for any new business you drum up?;)


Fred

[Oscar Jack]

Louis, the test would be the advertisement/editorial ratio.

Hello Bira - I've never before had the nerve to address you directly altho' I've read your posts for a long time now.
Have you/anyone actually done a direct comparison of the early editons of F1 Mag editorial/info v. advertising against the latest issues? Although I'm not sure that this is a good yardstick of quality of content (only of quantities of content...)

I would agree with Louis Mr F1 that the first edition/s were really good, but sadly the mag has gone downhill/scurrilous/sensationalist since then.

Bira - what would YOU recommend as the best, most informed, F1 reading around? Please?

All the best

[bira]

Originally posted by Oscar Jack
Hello Bira - I've never before had the nerve to address you directly altho' I've read your posts for a long time now.

Sorry if I scared you

Originally posted by Oscar Jack
Have you/anyone actually done a direct comparison of the early editons of F1 Mag editorial/info v. advertising against the latest issues? Although I'm not sure that this is a good yardstick of quality of content (only of quantities of content...)

I would agree with Louis Mr F1 that the first edition/s were really good, but sadly the mag has gone downhill/scurrilous/sensationalist since then.

I didn't do that comparison, no, and I'm not even sure if the yardstick I gave Louis is the correct one for such magazines. In the print paper media, such as daily newspapers and their weekly weekend supplements, the ratio between editorial and advertising is very crucial, and dictates the number of pages the magazine has.

An example: before the holidays, more advertisers buy ads space. So we have more pages (in my newspaper, the weekend supplement is a minimum of 96 pages and a maximum of 128, with a ratio of 40% ads and 60% editorial. In the previous magazine I worked for, the minimum was 128 and the maximum was 192, with an ads-editorial ratio of 50%-50%).

It's not unusual for a print magazine to fluctuate in # of pages. I think the advertising is only one part of the considerations taken by the magazine of how many pages there will be in the upcoming issue. Other considerations include the balance in content (you don't want to overdo one issue and then underdo the next. You aspire to have a balance within every issue, and between every issue, to create a level of quality the reader gets accustomed to). Also, remember that F1 itself is a seasonal event, whereby the start of the season will invariably have more to be said about, than, say, after the Championships are settled or when it's off-season.

Originally posted by Oscar Jack
Bira - what would YOU recommend as the best, most informed, F1 reading around? Please?

All the best

I am not objective nor qualified to answer that (I don't read regularly all magazines). As far as F1 Magazine goes, I quite like it - there is always at least one article that I read from start to finish.

It still suffers from a few bouts of unprofessionalism in my opinion, which are a bit disappointing. You can find typos and mistakes on Atlas F1 - but that may be expected if you consider the very small staff and extremely low budget we face. When you find typos and mistakes in a professional print magazine, with the staff size and budget size of F1 Magazine, it's somewhat disappointing, to be honest. Having said that, they are new and they seem eager so I'd give them another year before I pass final judgement.

The graphics designer, whoever he is, of F1 Magazine is fantastic. I love the layout of the articles, the daring in font and image selection, and the fact that a lot of thought seems to be put in how to compliment the text with its layout design, rather than overshadow it or bury it in a boring format.

Some regular features of the magazine don't appeal to me at all (I never read John Watson's road test, for example), but that is alright: a good magazine should have something for everyone, not everything for a few.

As for F1 Racing? I think they have raised their game since F1 Magazine came out - competition does that. But I am still not a fan of the magazine. But I'm just really happy we have a choice. In fact, I don't think we have enough choice - I'd have been happy to see different types of magazines published on F1.

And then, there's always Atlas F1 ...;)


p.s.

I don't read the weekly magazines, as I don't have them handy for purchase, so I can't give my opinion on them

p.p.s.

Something's bothering me about the latest issue of F1 Magazine - have any of you noticed that there is no writer credit to the Hakkinen/Dennis article?

I don't like investigative reporting that no one is owning up to. It makes me doubt the integrity of the writer, if he isn't willing to stand behind what he wrote publicly. Journalists should not have immunity from taking responsibility for their work - for better or worse.

[Suzy]

Originally posted by bira


p.p.s.

Something's bothering me about the latest issue of F1 Magazine - have any of you noticed that there is no writer credit to the Hakkinen/Dennis article?

I don't like investigative reporting that no one is owning up to. It makes me doubt the integrity of the writer, if he isn't willing to stand behind what he wrote publicly. Journalists should not have immunity from taking responsibility for their work - for better or worse.

Hi Bira

That's what Ron said! He said in the pre-Suzuka Friday Press Conference (selected quotes from a long answer): "Well I was glancing at an article about what was supposed to have happened between Mika and I today. I don't know who wrote it because it is one of the few pieces that doesn't have someone's name on it... I think the article went along the lines that I had convinced Mika that the best thing for him was to have a year off. That's compete rubbish... It also says that to keep Mika happy in this year off, he's being paid $3m. I can assure you he's not, and I'm sure he will assure that he's not. It just goes on and on and on. What we said at the time was the truth..."

I noticed the lack of author credit the minute I read the article because I immediately wondered which journalist wouldn't be invited to any McLaren events - but couldn't see the name. Either he/she doesn't want the big boys round to sort him/her out, doesn't want to be sued or is too ashamed of what he/she wrote to admit to it. Ironically, a common comment I hear from several F1 journalists (although that does not apply to any of the Atlas F1 writers) is that they hate the secrecy in Formula One where team bosses refuse to let their names be put on certain comments. Pots and kettles spring to mind here...

Suzy

[RaggedEdge]

Originally posted by Suzy

I noticed the lack of author credit the minute I read the article because I immediately wondered which journalist wouldn't be invited to any McLaren events - but couldn't see the name. Either he/she doesn't want the big boys round to sort him/her out, doesn't want to be sued or is too ashamed of what he/she wrote to admit to it. Ironically, a common comment I hear from several F1 journalists (although that does not apply to any of the Atlas F1 writers) is that they hate the secrecy in Formula One where team bosses refuse to let their names be put on certain comments. Pots and kettles spring to mind here...

Suzy

I also noticed it, but I had been forewarned by Ron

That article was just a load of bullshit, altough I think they might have got right Hakkinen's 1993 negotiations with Lotus, McLaren and Williams. It is weird to think that Mika was a pay-driver in 1991 and 1992 and had signed with Williams for 1993 only to fail because of contractual disputes.

In that issue, they also "quote" Brundle pretty uncomfortably by saying that Brundle has been walking up and down the pitlane telling everybody that Coulthard has a solid two-year deal with McLaren. Ron also refuted this and said that contractually he can do what he wants with the 2003 lineup.

They just don't like McLaren, and the feeling is mutual now, unfortunately.

[Xodiac]

My Picks:

Weekllys;

AutoSprint (Italian) lots of Ferrari of course, but great photos and Giorgio Piola a regular contrubutor.The best.
Autosport (British) a bit of a rag now but gives you a "fix" , for us Yanks it is the first we hear about F1 news
Auto Hebdo (French) a little less in-depth, and carries other auto news.
F1 (Japanese) actually twice a month during the season. Great photos and features.

Monthlys'

F1 Magazine (British) covers it all and there is somehting for everyone. The best.
Sony F1 (Japanese) Great pictures and up-close features. Also does some vintage occasionally.
F1 News (British) has nice features and race recaps, it's a bit lighter, some articles are downright fluff
F1 Racing (") the magazine to get if you like Schu on the cover every other issue. Nice photography and an occasional good article.
Motorsport (") the best for vintage stories and photos. Often the one I keep in the bookcase.
Sportauto (German) Combines coverage of the auto world with racing. Good photos and articles. Not as Schu-centric as you would think.

I know there are others but these are the best.

[black magic]

anyone comment f1 mag article... on who are were inspirational.

can't say have read a more poorly written and constructed article in a long time. seems to contradict himself several times before finished.

gives the synopsis of looking at all the fans wearing ms caps and ponders who is the most inspirational of recent drivers. points out that when alive few people ever wore senna's logo etc even though popular. then concludes that senna in fact more inspirational than ms yet to me provides good evidence that in fact the opposite is true.

never ceases to surprise me that people who dislike him continue to deny that ms is inspirational and yet watch any coverage and I defy anyone to admit that the dominant colour is red and the most popular driver being cheered on is ms. and yet not inspirational - how is that? has any driver ever been as popular it terms of support. look at any race and perhaps with the exception of mansell in brittain no one else including gilles has had the degree of public support that ms currently enjoys.

yes it may well have to do with ferrari but agin would suggest with little hard data other than personal impressions that the red is more ms than ferrari per se with the exception of italy. classic case in point is germany where red dominates grey despite maclaren and williams heavily german orientated.