[Simone Saviolo]

Have to say that the "Surviving Rookies" is an excellent series of videos.

If more racers on SRS, server 1 as well as higher servers, made avoiding incidents their number one priority, the racing would be so much cleaner.

It always surprises me that racing on server 1, we still get racers crashing in to each other on straights on lap 1.  Or when you lift off due to an incident in front of you, others are so bad at anticipating what's going on they run in to the back of you.

That race happened on server 2, but still. I know I often miss the opportunity to avoid a crash, I'm trying to pay more and more attention to that, but a few of the backrunners behave like you'd expect on a public lobby.

I have to say that even just reading your first post a couple of alarm bells rang.

Now I'm not trying to be over critical of you as I have no idea of how much racing you've done,  just some things to think about.

Please do, I need that too.

Halfway through the first lap, I got run into from behind while entering a corner, which sent me into a spin and caused a huge crash, with six-seven cars involved.

First lap and you obviously have someone close behind you, try moving off your line, so they aren't directly behind you and slow a bit, give them space.  If they are breaking that late they will probably spin off anyway.  At worst, you lose a place rather than however many you did lose, and no incidents.

I was trying to be very cautious, I was P5 after a good start and saw two drivers in front of me battling for position, so I lifted off and braked a little early twice. The first time, P6 dived and I let him run wide more by instinct than by skill (I kinda expected that). But the second time he ran into me instead. I know it was a red flag (not in the racing sense ), I had been warned that he wouldn't brake any earlier than on quali, and still I did what turned out to be the wrong thing. I should have known better.

However, I started reducing the gap to drivers in front of me, which I managed to overtake - until one of them bumps into me, sending me into the barriers

Why are they at the back?  They have probably been involved in other incidents, so give them loads of room.  Maybe even wait until they crash again, and just drive past the wreckage

In my defense, I was much faster, 2-3 seconds per lap But yeah, I should have been more careful.

Then I go on, get on his tail again, try to take his slipstream, he goes right, then left, then right again; I finally pick the inside, outbrake him and get into the corner way before him... but he ignores my attack and just slams me in the back, sending me into a spin, and - unlucky timing - crashing into a driver that was going to lap us.

So you know this guy can't drive safely, then he warns you by swerving down the straight, yet you still put your self just in front of him expecting a different outcome than last time .  What worries me more here is that there is a faster drive coming up to lap you, and rather than leave space and let them past safely, you have carried on battling.

Well, the lapping driver was not really close to us, he got close to me after I had been hit and spun. If it weren't for the crash, there would have been about 4 seconds between us and him.

You're right that I shouldn't have expected clean racing from that opponent, but what should I do? There wasn't really another point where it would have been safer to overtake, he was probably going to do some diving elsewhere. Should I just keep waiting that he makes a decisive mistake? I know IRL drivers often lose ten laps or more behind slower drivers, but we're in 15-laps races and after all we should have some fun! On the other hand... yeah, it was not fun to make a good pass just to get hit and spin and cause another incident and then be banned for a week. 

All this does come with experience, and some times you just can't do anything to avoid a wreck, but you are doing one of the best things a racer can do to improve and that's ask for advice.

I've been watching races and playing games for almost thirty years, but it's incredible how little you learn until you actually try to race other people, even if it's "just" a sim. I really look forward to learn more, it's fascinating in its own terms.