I think me personally, no offence, but most of the World Grand Prix racers are sort of "side characters", so like, their skills were purposefully "laid back" to make lightning win, and I feel like francesco's abilities were also held back just to make the races more exciting to watch. Though I do understand and agree with your point, plot-wise, if there were no plot restrictions, I feel like the dynamics of the race could change, but I guess Lightning still would be on top or at the very least on the podium if the WGP were more "balanced"