Managed to get a couple of decent online races in with no 'crashes' (of the game, that is...). 4th in both - GTEs at Monza and today GTEs at Spa. To be truthful, I was last man standing in the first race. But today I actually finished ahead of several other players. I was helped by the two cars ahead of me colliding out of the chicane on the final lap.
What bugs me though is the system of driver ranking. Until I get a silver ranking I can't drive anything other than beginner races which means no Hypercars at all. The ranking system is pretty naive - you get one ranking based on your position in the race but there is a second ranking, a 'Safety' ranking I think where contact with other cars, off-track excursions and penalties severely hinder your progression. In the two races I mentioned, I did really badly on this ranking. In the first it said I only had 1 clear lap (out of 7) and hit the same car 13 times! I didn't hit anything. In today's race I was given 2 clear laps out of seven but 'penalised' for hitting two other cars. Well I didn't hit anyone, but I was hit by two other cars in ill-judged overtaking manoeuvres, one of which cost me two places and damaged my steering. On reading the guidance, the game engine makes no distinction at all between fault and no fault incidents which really needs to be addressed. At this rate it'll be months before I make silver...