I am not saying that lap times would be the same due to the car no matter who is driving. Obviously the driver inputs can overwhelm any aid the car can offer if the inputs were so bad. We have seen videos in recent years where drivers ran laps with aids on and off. Even the pro driver improves lap times with the aids on. That is impressive that it can make a mediocre driver look pretty good and in control. And help make a great driver even a little bit better. Heck, on these high hp cars even reducing or eliminating wheel spin coming out of the corner could help lap times. So you can see where it can benefit everyone. And ever-improving software available with an over the air update is pretty cool. Be it making more power, power management, battery life improvement, or stability control.
Letting the car drive around the track with me in the back seat sounds horrifying. Even if it could run faster laps than me and be safer. Couldn't do it. Nope. hahaha
I agree, as a gear head, these cars lack something ICE cars offer. One is the exhaust sound. It's just hard to miss that music when driving. I hate driving my car with the windows up because I enjoy the sound. The other thing is limited engagement with modding the car. The suspension is about all you are going to be able to play with. Not that suspension is easy or not worth doing. But most gearheads are into making more power than doing suspension and brakes. But I feel this car is going to be owned mostly by people who don't work on their own cars or even modify them.
On the other side, as I get older, I don't want to maintain my car and be working on it all the time. I'd rather be driving it or out using it. So a car I don't have to do maintenance or mods on the powertrain is appealing as well. I'm not gonna lie, a Model 3 Performance makes a pretty good case for a nice daily driver and track toy. If battery power and charging weren't an issue I would be 100% sold. So maybe a crazy-ass Model S Plaid makes a really strong case for some car owners that want to track a car as well. Especially if the bankroll is there and the specs Tesla is claiming become reality.