And, as you mentioned, Presidents have a distinct advantage over fighter pilots and Indy drivers in that a President's support team is right there with him or her all the time, not separated by a radio, and they're also 'in the cockpit' so to speak, especially the Vice President.
All great Presidents have had great teams as well. Even some of the lousy ones had enough clear-headed advisors around them to avoid having the 'launch' button pushed unnecessarily, with the possible exception of Clinton and the aspirin factory incident. Speaking of Clinton, I think I'd rather have a highly intelligent, true Patriot who gets occasional headaches and can delegate tasks effectively at the helm than a serial rapist who is unfaithful to his wife as well as his nation in the Oval Office with an intern the age of his own daughter. No contest.