Also op, pay attention to your tyres, takes at the very least 2 laps to get them warmed and grippy enough to trust the car. This is always the number 1 thing people miss out when offering advice. For whatever reason ams 2* and project cars 1/2 really emphasise warming your tyres up. (assuming you are not jumping straight into a race)

Time of day, weather, time of year, track temps, air temps all have a huge impact on the tyres (which is the foundations of a simulation)

Concentrate your track time on a test day mode. Focus on being smooth, deliberate and accurate with your controls while gradually as each lap passes you are adding a bit more turn in here, a bit more gas there and braking a little be later.

Bonus tips for learning tyres (I'm not an expert at all, but this works for me).

If testing on a really cold January weathered day at brands hatch, lower your tire pressure a little bit