It's definitely not optimal, but I guess it's one possible strategy. I wouldn't recommend it, because it's very risky (especially on tracks with high crash chance) and to get the most of it you have to build your whole team around that strategy (e.g. have traits that make tyres last longer, no crash traits, a fast crew chief etc.).

Generally, if you have tyres to spare, you want to push a little when overtaking and defending, and push more when the driver says it's gonna be a good lap.

If you find that to be too burdensome you can simply focus on your overall team strategy and slowly but steadily climb the ranks. The are many ways to get to the top.

While not optimal, I found myself gravitating towards the same strategy as a new player. In my mind, it was a "time under tension" thing, and eeking out as much performance without crashing my drivers felt intuitive. My first game I started with Night and went from 6th to 4th to 1st in the first 3 seasons and holding the 1st and 2nd place driver podiums at the end of the 1973 season (and consistently able to get upwards of 1 lap of separation from the 3rd place driver). I don't know if it's just coincidence we both gravitated to this strategy or not.

Also, it feels like the greatest contributor to progression is money (idk how I'd balance it any differently though) as my team improved exponentially to the point of starting the 1974 season with over $200 in the bank after rehiring the same team of all the top skill team members.

~I'd almost wonder if the solution is pushing the peak progression further out, like adding more teams and having racing groups that push for certain qualifiers for mainstay races. In the example I gave, getting 1st would just be within my group (if it didn't change the first 3 years) but now I'd have a lot more neck-and-neck races with the best teams outside of the group. (Obviously, that is a MASSIVE ask, and I wouldn't doubt it if that idea has already floated around or is in the works)

That sounds very similar to my experience! I also picked Night, won both championships in the 3rd season, started the 4th season with the best team across the board, scored 1-2 finishes in the first few races, realized there was no real challenge left, and stopped playing.

I'm not sure how to remedy it, or if it even needs remedying. I got 20+ hours out of the game, which is good for the price. Would I have enjoyed it more if it had taken me twice as many seasons to reach the top? Hard to say. I think it would need a little more depth, but I get that it's a deliberately minimalist game, and that's part of what made me want to try it in the first place. It's just in my nature to try to optimize the games I play, and hope that the games are able to stand up to it while remaining interesting, challenging, or ideally both. This one didn't quite manage it. But as a more casual experience, I think it's a lot of fun.