Tougher is an understatement.
There is currently a chink in the armor, were you start the season with a below par car, instead of an equal power car to everyone else. Totally unfair, when most likely the competition are higher level managers to start with. The plus side, if you want to call it that, because to me it's just causing more issues, is when you get relegated you will have a car better than everyone else and you will be right back to where you came from and back up a tier with a lower car. Sort of stuck in a loop unless you get a lucky break in a race and avoided relegation.