Idea: A Formula 1 RPG?

I’ve been watching the Drive to Survive F1 docuseries these days while quarantining with the old C-19, and it feels like a perfect background for a role playing game.

Change the motorsport to a spell-casting competition, a series of legendary obstacle-courses, a competition to get the best trade deal (or just keep the vehicle in there), and we have a game with:

Exciting session-to-session dynamics — each week is centered around a race in a brand new exotic location. There is a lot of politicking / intrigue / preparation / mishaps before the race; then there’s the race (an action packed sequence); then an unwind after the race.
A clear campaign arc — the season has a clear goal for teams: the top teams fighting for first place, the mid-fielders trying to manoeuvre themselves into a promising position, the underdogs pushing forwards against all odds.
A stable of colourful characters — team principals / managers with something to prove, owners investing millions, a bunch of flamboyant pilot divas (competing between teams and between each other), a supporting team of mechanics, engineers, and researchers, oligarchs looking for a team for their ultra-wealthy children, etc. etc.. Add into the mix unique NPCs in every new locale, and you have the fixings for good drama.
Opportunity for fresh game mechanics — would be an interesting game design challenge to simulate the race (beyond a single die roll) and the impact that pre-race decisions have on the race. Opportunity to go anywhere on the spectrum from theatre-of-the-mind to a full-on track with minis.

Update: Trying this out

Currently (December 2022) running a mini-campaign based on the principles listed above in FATE Core — not F1, but a sailing race set during the golden age of piracy.

As I’m running shorter sessions (2 hours), finding it better to split the race from the preparation phase, but getting a lot of kicks from creating the competitor characters and crafting game mechanics around the race.