Yep, despite none of the A/S races in FIA last night being clean, I still had some good finishes (from last). I would usually end up 5th or 6th in the first lap just avoiding the wreckage then already get bumped off at the right turn after the second chicane, in Ascari or Parabolica with a penalty for good measure. So back to the back on lap 2 and the penalty zone. And then slowly gaining positions again, mostly from others fighting each other. Even starting at the back had no guarantees of getting through T1 unscathed. I let go of the gas brake real early, just casually follow the last cars only to get bumped off by cars spawning behind me, going solid in the chicane and either leaving me in the sand or with a 7 second penalty
It's Monza with twitchy cars on a laggy server, it's a **** show the first 2 laps. But lap 3 you can start to breath again and still have 12 laps of actual racing to look forward to. There were still plenty people ready to barge pass, dive bomb or hump your bumper, but also those with which I had awesome close contact free racing, fully synchronized around the track trading positions a few times. It is possible to go around the track with only a few feet between the cars at all times, but too many people think that sticking a nose in gets them there faster instead of waiting for a moment where you can make a pass stick. Too many times I got up to two cars hindering each other, then one of them falls back. I pass him and want to get on to close in on the second one, only for the one I just passed forcing me to go defensive so we both slow down and the other gets away. By the time I shake the hindering car, the other has already had time to get back into hot lapping mode and has increased the gap beyond draft range. In contrast, while I was glued to another car while swapping positions on the straight, we made up time to the next car and both profited in the end. The dirty driving is not the most annoying anymore, it's the constant contesting every corner even when there is no possible chance of making a clean pass. Yet let them go ahead, they can't keep it together while in front

more time lost.