I went to the F1 race in Austin a few years ago. There were support races, too, such as a Porsche series and a classic F1 exhibition with different cars from across the eras. I was sitting at the end of a long straightaway before a sharp set of corners close to the end where they turn into the pit lane.
The Porsche cars had top speeds that wasn't that much slower than the F1 cars, which surprised me. But I was stunned to realize that its not the straightaways that distinguish those cars...its the breaking and cornering. The F1 cars didn't START breaking until about 20 yards after the Porsche's brake point. And they took the corners at a much higher speed. They weren't racing each other on the track at the same time, but it was incredible to see the forces firsthand.
