re: Are F1 drivers athletes?

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I think most reasonable people know racing requires a certain level of fitness and athleticism. But let's be honest, the sport is mostly about engineering. Max Verstappen isn't winning 90% of the races because he can do more pushups than the other drivers or because his heartrate goes back to normal faster. He's winning because he has the best car and the best team of engineers in the garage. And yes, technical skill and reflexes play a big part (read: ordinary people can't do this), but it's still more about the car.

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This is a massive red herring. Anyone who is even a casual fan of F1 knows that if Schumacher had stayed with Jordon he wouldn't have won 7 WDCs and likely wouldn't have won a single race unless it was an oddball where rain, pit stop strategy, safety cars etc jumbled up the order in some random fashion. The car is a huge part of the winning equation. That however has frickall to do with whether F1 drivers are athletes.

If someone only defines an athlete as a professional stick and ball sports player that's fine, moronic but fine. People who are supposed to know sports often show their ignorance. I remember one of the pundits that did a long form ESPN show back 20+ years ago opined that cycling was not a team sport: they just get on their bike and ride as fast as possible. Anyone remotely acquainted with bicycle road racing just sat and laughed, people who are acquainted with F1 are laughing at you too.