The driving style of choice back then was to gentley slide the car through the corner at a threshold point just before total loss of traction. Secondly, you've obviously never watched Formula One from the 1960s and early 1970s.

He's an exceptional driver who seems to have an innate ability to pick up the majority of cars very quickly.

To expand on your point, they put Chris Harris in a DTM car and he was quickly lapping about two-three seconds off the pace of the team's regular driver.