I think there is more to gain from racing when you don't know the track, when Sardegna was added I entered a race without a single lap of practice. I had no idea where I was going but the person ahead did, if you brake where they are and follow their lines you can start to learn from what they're doing and get on the pace quicker than you would driving solo imo.
I think this is a case of "everyone is different". I would have a very hard time learning a track when racing with others, as I would have to spend so much mental energy on racecraft that I wouldn't be paying enough attention to references and the line.
Also what if their line is the wrong one? Or they're in a MR versus your FF or FR or vice versa? Or their driving style is very different from yours?
If you want to "learn by watching" I think it's more effective to download a ghost from someone with a good laptime, that way you can focus entirely on just learning and not worry about racing other cars.
Sometimes you get nervous trying to get the win. For the psychological part, all I can tell you is run your race. I can't tell you how many times I could have had a solid 2nd or 3rd place, but threw it away going for a win & crashed myself & lost so much time trying to get back on track.
100% this! There's so much psychology and self-control involved in actually racing. I have a little mantra I repeat to myself when the green flag drops or when I exit the pits on fresh tyres, to remind myself that I'm on
cold tyres. That's something that catches a lot of people out on race starts particularly; they've been running quali laps and free practice laps and know that they can brake at the 100 meter board for T1 and still make the corner. Only that's with hot, grippy tyres. Not your ice cold hockey pucks that they're on now. So we get trainwrecks by people braking where they always brake, only the grip difference in cold versus hot tyres screws them over.
The cooler you can keep your head on track the better you will do. Don't try to make up for lost time after a mistake by flooring it, that's just chasing another off. Don't try to muscle through as soon as you catch up to another car, wait for your moment. Don't defend every position to your last breath because in defending P7 you'll let the rest of the pack catch up and pass you both and now you're P14 instead of P8. Don't make drastic jumps in trying to find more speed on the track, if braking at the 100 meter board works and the corner is no challenge you try braking at 95 meters. Not 50.
Also accept your mistakes and drop them
instantly to avoid turning them into disasters.
So you come in a bit too hot to a corner and overshoot your brake marker, so now you're too fast and you're off the apex by a fair bit, and on your current line you'll definitely go off the track on exit. Do you just keep on keeping on? No. You brake more, wait to get on the throttle, or whatever, to slow you down enough to stay on track. Yeah you lost 0.5 seconds and maybe you'll be overtaken on the next straight. You're still on the track though, aren't you? Still in the fight?
Also if you do put some wheels outside the track, be cool about it! Don't touch those pedals and just steer
gently back onto the track and only get on the throttle when you've got four wheels touching asphalt. Same there, you'll lose time for sure. But you're not spinning off into Narnia and end up dead last with no hope to regain your position.