Hot Rod is a very brave Autobot, to the point where his function within the Autobot ranks is "Daring Hero". According to Bumblebee, older Autobots consider him a show-off, but he is Bumblebee's favorite person to pull off reckless stunts with, and is always "down for a friendly race to prove that he rules the roads"; however, he will demand infinite rematches until he wins. This immaturity is probably why it's sometimes hard to realise that beneath the bravado lies a natural leader.