MacBook Pro recovery boot and macOS Sequoia install issues

After purchasing a M3 MacBookPro to replace my Intel MBP I decided I wanted a new Sequoia install to start with. I booted the M3 in restore mode and used disk utility to reformat the machine. I then discovered the machine would not boot in recovery mode. (Just got a spinning wheel).

After messing around trying to create a bootable USB device (Must be USB 3 or better) I got to a point where the computer asked for language, then asked for a wifi network.

Issues: How does the recovery boot work? If on a partition, how does disk utility erase the partition it's on? If wifi, why does the computer forget the network it's joined, and how about clearer directions to where to choose the network you're using.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]