Yes, of course! I've lost some races by sheer pressure from the player behind me. Of course there are some other circumstances such as the general condition of the car or the pain in the hands after several laps playing with a controller, but the pressure is a powerful enemy. The hands are sweating, the heart beats hard, your mother asking you to throw the garbage away at the same time that the second place comes with the hunger of a Ayrton Senna hunting you with laser eyes.
The pressure can be a wonderful thing if you learn how to deal with it, but can be one of the worst things for those who are ahead, especially for that player who usually does not lead races. I believe that only experience and some kind of psychological work can minimize the effects of pressure.
Once, I was seeing a DTM race and there was a very good fight between first and second place (sorry, I do not remember who were the pilots), but one of the drivers had better times when he was second, but when he was first placed, his times got worse, and then the commentator said: "some people are natural hunters and others like to be the prey" (and this applies to life as well).
And the point is: some drivers are really good chasing and others feel more and more instigated when they see others pilots approaching, and this will never change, people have different qualities, and with drivers/players will not be different.
