@id: Basketball* was my game too up into my thirties (6'5 then, w/38" sleeves), but auto-racing has always been my primary interest in sport, I'm sure. Not necessarily F1 any more though--I'm more of a "historics" kinda guy, as with many other interests in life. So I spend a fair proportion of my time PC racing with sims like rFactor(1 and 2), Assetto Corsa, etc.... I've been racing online dating back to the arrival of the first really good road-racing sim, "Grand Prix Legends."
As might be imagined, we have a fair number of participants (like my league teammate) who have real-world racing experience too--this is one of the crossover areas I was referring to in my earlier post, and it's always a pleasant surprise to meet someone who has experience in both disciplines. I tend to ask a lot of questions of them, and most are happy to talk about most of it once the ice is broken. But not always, and some subjects there are off limits too (the death of a racing friend behind the wheel being a big one--both of the former Formula Atlantic racers I know have lost friends).
As you say, it takes all kinds to make a world, and some people who really could be the bully type if they wanted to (see footnote) often choose to go the other way instead.
And then there are the "trash talkers"....yeesh!
----
[* I used to play pickup ball matched up (head-to-head that is) against a couple of people who went on to NBA careers, against a gal too who played seven years of pro-ball in the EU...and for about six months against a former starting Super Bowl Linebacker (who's second sport in college was basketball). But he was so mild-mannered and quiet I didn't even find out who he was until the last night we played...and then realized I really should have figured it out--all the clues were there.
].
\