I believe that was a glich that was corrected in the 2nd or 3rd 1.03x update. It was fine in a room last night.
No, it's still a bug. The first week we used qualification "race together" mode and that seemed to work in my room fine. I don't remember any reports of issues. The "race alone" mode gets it's completely wrong. 3 out of 3 rooms were messed up completely on the grid and required a reshuffle. See
Tidgney's Benny Hill video as we had to shuffle ourselves.
Quick question about the formation lap? Does the game not automatically put you into the correct position on the grid after qualification based on the fastest time? Or am i missing something?
So, given my answer above and the tendency for PD to never consistently get the order correct on the grid (unless you use grid based on previous result) we use a formation lap to solve the problem. The game can put you on the grid anywhere and during the formation lap the drivers can sort themselves properly (the race director will call/type out the order). The pole sitter leaves the grid, picks his preferred side and then proceeds slowly. The other drivers then just form up in order alternating right/left/right/left with a stagger. The stagger should be such that no driver overlaps another but they are fairly tight. It's basically a moving starting grid, not a two wide NASCAR start. This stagger gives more space and better visibility during the formation and the launch. When all drivers are in position the pole sitter picks up the pace slightly. When approaching the final section the pole sitter will slow a bit again to allow cars to close ranks and then continues at the published formation lap speed. We use two different speed limits depending on the track and the position of the starting line relative to the final corner. When it's a tricky transition we use a lower speed to make sure the last guys on the grid aren't left hanging. It's important that the pole sitter in particular understand that he is driving the show and needs to be aware and use his mirror and map. If someone is lagging or something doesn't look right slow down a bit. A steward will usually be on a mic to alert and even call a stop if there are issues.
So the formation lap can allow us to use any qualification method including a pre-determined starting order and doesn't depend on PD. Believe me, that's a plus. Also, sometimes you'll have a black screen or major lag right at the start. The formation lap means that doesn't really impact your race. Another plus.
We also have two variations on the start.
Usually the formation lap is followed by a rolling start. The pole sitter, going the speed limit, accelerates to race pace at the starting line after the formation lap. All other drivers accelerate when the driver in front of them does (not when they cross the line). We expect all drivers to do this and if one jumps expect a penalty and it's easy to spot. We've given out a few. If you accidentally jump a bit, just self correct by lifting to maintain your original position and you won't have to worry. We only penalize infractions if you don't self correct. If you forget to accelerate or lag way behind on the other hand, don't expect everyone behind you to wait. We expect everyone to be alert and have reasonable reaction time.
We don't want any passes before the start finish (unless someone is asleep at the wheel) and normally there shouldn't be any passes before the braking zone unless there is a driver error involved. If you find yourself making 2+ passes on the straight ask yourself how you got there... you better have good evidence because you'll most likely end up in kangaroo court after the race.
The other variation is just to go park on the grid again after the formation lap and do a start at a set time on the clock... F1 style. Again, jumping gets you penalized and is easy to spot on the replay. On a long track that takes forever to do a formation we may skip the formation and just do an organized shuffle (benny hill style) and again start at a set time on the clock.
Typically the rolling starts are a bit more spread out (accordion style if done right) and have resulted in cleaner starts in most situations. But there are some tracks (madrid is an example) where grid starts and the resulting slower turn 1 speed give enough benefit to use standing starts.