Hahaha, hyperactive brains need distraction.
Hence it is normal to attend to the screens during the race, ask about your partner's circumstances, congratulate or advise him, worry about the strategy of whoever is in front or behind... or try to find out if the flowers are natural, if they will be orchids, how the orchids will smell in Miami... The thing is to keep your brain busy.
Quite possibly his reputation for being conniving, having a bad temper and other similar things that seem negative originate from there: he simply gets bored doing only one thing.
Even more so if he is third and has no other options. Although I suspect that going first wouldn't change things too much either ...