Formula 1 keeps showing up in everything I build

River loves Formula 1. He loves Red Bull in particular. I didn't plan for that to shape what I build, but look at the evidence.

Exhibit one: the kart racer

Sloth Rocket Grand Prix is a kart racing game with five themes: F1, rockets, pirates, libraries and sloths. The F1 part was not up for debate. It takes Xbox controllers and a steering wheel with pedals, and four people can race on one screen.

Exhibit two: the real kart

The two-seat go-kart in our garage is getting a front wing, a two-element rear wing and sidepods. I wrote up the wing build separately. It already has a Red Bull seat.

Exhibit three: a Grand Prix inside a bus simulator

This is the one I can't defend. I'm building a driving game set on our real bus routes for work. It now contains a five-lap street circuit along the lakefront, an F1-style car, the five red lights at the start and a podium at the end.

What the sport is good for

F1 is a great way into engineering for a kid. Every question leads somewhere real.

• Why do the cars have wings? Because the air pushes them down onto the track.
• Why do they change tires? Because grip wears out.
• Why did that car slow down? Because someone made a decision about fuel, tires or risk.

None of it feels like a lesson, because there's a race on.

What's next

More of the same, I expect. If you have a kid who is obsessed with something, my advice is to build toward it. You'll never have a more motivated tester.