And yes, the point of these racing regulations is to make it at least optically a driver skill competition, not just who can throw more money at a pretty mundane challenge of getting from A to B the fastest. (If not for those regulations, since the track is known to the centimeter, the fastest driver would probably be the lightest one because it would be dead weight.)
Thankfully software engineering challenges are far from mundane, so the chasm will indeed grow
Yes, if you let AI/tooling/interns do the mundane parts, you’ll have more time for the good parts
Maybe if everyone took turns setting times. But in a real race, you have to deal with traffic, figure out how to pass, etc.
Time attack is a type of race.
But I don't see how it changes the regular racing either. If you don't keep it in check the competition will shift to who can write better autopilot software, which if the only variable is "other racing cars" is pretty simple compared to real world streets.
Again, the analogy is broken. Automatic transmission, autopilot help, these things will help win the race, but creating good software is a bit different from "who can type faster".
In fact driver aids had to be actively banned in many racing series. Just to make it more fun for spectators.