Thing is about auto' boxes, they probably react very well to an input but a decent driver will already be in the right gear by virtue of seeing a potential situation and being prepared for it.
In an over taking situation for example, you assess the space and speed required for the manoeuvre, select the gear in preparation and when the times right accelerate and go. In full auto mode you see the same space, hit kick down, wait for it and possibly crap your pants....
Well, actually, no. You use this thing called planning or anticipation. You see where the opportunity is going to arise and you floor the pedal half a second before it arrives.
Formula 1 cars aren't full auto's, don't think NASCAR racers are either....must be a good reason for it?
But a lot of drag racers (especially ET) use automatics
There are couple of other factors involved though. One is the torque curve of the engine. Peaky engines aren't a good match for a BorgWarner type box with torque converter. You need good torque low down because you can't really rev the engine when stationary.
Secondly, torque converters actually operate as a CVT at low speeds and after changing up (typically about 2:1 reducing to 1:1). This means that they
sound much more leisurely when accelerating which can make a driver used to a manual think the car isn't doing much. Perception. (This is also why in the past it was normal for automatics to have one less gear than the manual car - the torque converter spreads the gears. That's still true but in the arms race of car sales the numbers thrown at ignorant buyers are more important, and there are now 8 speed autos in some cars.