Yep, the LFS portion is the first stage in a 3-stage process. The important part of this stage is that access to it is easy.
A lot of real-world racing drivers have now been through the Fortec simulator, and without exception the relative correlation between LFS simulator and real-world driver performance has been a precise match. Barring real-world physical forces (including the G25 pedal forces, which don't push back hard enough), the FBM's behaviour in LFS has been very much complimented by all those drivers (kudos to Scawen) and it is regarded as an excellent introduction to the real-life Formula BMW.
But yes.. LFS is the first stage. The 2nd stage, psychometrics, cannot be underestimated. SHL tested the Seat Cupra Cup drivers at the beginning of the season and predicted 70% of the field at the end of the season. The third stage will, of course be conclusive. Nobody who wins through ALL stages and gets a drive next year will be a half-wit, you can rest assured of that.
@ Mike, this is the beginning of the season. There's a long way to go yet, and when we declare that the edge of the track is the white line rather than the curb, that will become the edge of the track. Right now, we're treating the curb as part of the track. Drivers' ability to adapt to small changes are an integral aspect of this phase of the driver selection process.