Sandman
The better driver.

Eric Stevens
Identical - except for the above abilities.

Sandman
Your hypothectical questions are irrelevant. Of two drivers, the better one will most likely win a race.

If you remove all other factors, this is exactly what happens. Top Gear has a F1 power board where F1 race drivers drive the exact same car. This way, you can see who the better driver is. Any supposed mechanical skills are worth nothing in this contest. They know very little about the car, and about the track. They get some practice laps, but that's it.

Eric Stevens
You have missed the point again. We are not dealing with two identical cars except at the beginning of the process. We have two identical drivers except that one knows how to set his car to suit his driving style and the other has to drive the car as it is given him.