It's easier to understand if you've attended a live race. The visual, aural and olfactory impressions of the cars are breathtaking. That, and the fact that th

It's easier to understand if you've attended a live race. The visual, aural and olfactory impressions of the cars are breathtaking. That, and the fact that the drivers are largely trying to cover ground as fast as they can without sliding off the track is what fascinates me. I have done some club-level open wheel racing realize that the drivers are constantly on the edge of crashing. If they could go faster, they would. The cars largely determine the success of the endeavor. It's often that following qualifying, the grid is composed of team cars side-by-side for at least the first few rows. There are exceptional drivers who break the pattern and all but carry the car around on their back like Verstappen and Leclerc. The car technology is genuinely fascinating to me, but I'm a gearhead anyway.