F1 2013 AI - slow behind you, impossibly fast ahead of you

F1 2013 The Game (Codemasters)
Hi, I'm pretty new to the F1 series, but after only a few hours of play I found something insanely frustrating that ended with me restarting almost every race a multitude of times to get anything in the top 75%. The AI, when behind you, is easy to keep behind you until you make a mistake. However, once they pass you, it becomes literally impossible (after about one lap) to pass them. They NEVER make a mistake, their lap times go from, for example, in my most recent race, 1:46 in second (me in first after three laps at 1:39) to 1:32 two laps after I dropped into seventh after I made a bad corner. They had a seventeen second gap between eighth and ninth (me), while 10th-22nd was all within three seconds behind me. I ended up losing one more corner, dropping to one and a half seconds behind 21st, and after four more flawless (the same 1:36-1:39 as the rest of my good laps) I was THIRTY TWO seconds behind 21st. If this continues, I might not even be able to play without frustrating myself to utter oblivion and uninstalling. Sorry.
 
Back. Again.
This time with AI and pitting. In the last three races I've done (wow, consistency in this game!?), I've started out fourth or fifth, moved up to first very quickly, and when I pitted, I'd lose one or two positions. And never gain them back. I'd end up a full minute behind someone every time I pitted. What's up with that?
I watched Alonso for the last one at Monza, and where I went S-O, 6-P, 16-P, 23-O, he did S-P, 8-O, 21-O. How the **** did he manage to keep on options for THAT LONG?

While I love the game, I also hate it with a fiery passion. The AI is ridiculous. I'm too fast for Legendary in the 90's cars, especially the FW14B, but Professional is where I'm experiencing such difficulties in Career.
I have no problem in a 50% distance race at Monza (GP or Online) to go to lap 8 on Options (the ones i used in quali, 90% left). Then Primes to lap 19 then options again for the last 8 laps.
What lap times are you getting? what race mode? career?
 

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