”You could make the same argument about almost any sport”Yes, but for many of them, to a much lesser degree. I specifically mentioned soccer because it is extremely cheap to start playing it. All you need is a somewhat level playing area, anything that can mark the locations of the imaginary goal posts (coats, garbage cans, or just heaps of mud), and something resembling a ball (say a few crumpled newspapers tied together with tape or thread will work, if needed)
You don’t need grass, inflatable balls, side line markers, real goal posts, team uniforms, or even shoes.
Long distance running is another example at the other end of the range, as is cricket (for which you only need a few sticks, one bat, a hard ball, and a fairly hard surface), and, where sandy beaches are available, beach volleyball (for which the only expensive item is the ball. A rope can substitute for the net, if needed)
That’s why you see don’t see kids in favelas race karts, but see them play soccer or cricket (and, in Brazil, play beach volleyball)
”You can't just grab some random person from tropical Africa and have him play some sport alongside trained and experienced veterans and expect him to win”
I didn’t claim that. What I said is that, likely, there are kids in Africa who, if they were given the same opportunities as Senna, would have turned out to be better F1 drivers than him.