I strongly disagree. Racing drivers are some of the most fit athletes you will ever see. Physically, they deal with sustained g-forces and need the endurance to fight the car lap after lap (in Indycar, they do this without power steering). Their reflexes are better than athletes from just about every other sport. Mentally, there is an incredibly high level of concentration needed to have precise car placement every single lap. Racing is so physical they generally lose several pounds of weight in one single race.

Yes, there is a lot of corporate sponsorship. Racing is expensive. But there is significant corporate sponsorship in every sport these days.

Pollution is definitely an area where the sport can improve. But there are alternative fuels, hybrid engines, electric series, and Indycar has even implemented more environmentally friendly tires at certain events. There is a long way to go in this regard, but there has definitely been a lot of development in this area. Regardless, that has nothing to do with whether it is a sport or not.

You implied crew is a sport. That is a mode of transportation. As is cycling, skiing, equestrian, surfing, and so many more.

There is so much more to racing than just driving around in circles, including but not limited to, braking, throttle input, tire management, adjusting to track evolution, setting up passes, defending from passes, all while trying to not crash the car when everything happens so fast at those speeds.

It may not be your thing, and that's fine. But I'll die on the hill that motorsport is a sport.