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The the local BMW CCA chapter had their yearly track event and it was lead/follow for the intermediate and novice tiers. Even with I think everyone being vaccinated (checked during registration, had to wear a mask and didn't get the special wristband otherwise) the BMW CCA HQ mandated that it had to be lead/follow only.
I was solo so I didn't have an instructor, but for other it was about 2 students per instructor. The first day seemed to be a bit messy. I think the two biggest issues were groups being split up when they were pointed by (two students and instructor pointing by another two students and instructor) in passing zones and people going out of sight (either one student being too slow, or one student speeding away from instructors in slower cars) from the instructor when the pace changed significantly. Traffic is certainly a problem, especially on smaller tracks and those with few and short passing zones.
On the second day, it seemed to run much smoother and the students with the quick cars were allowed to stretch their legs so everyone stayed happy. Everyone seem to be quicker on the uptake for allowing groups to pass so that didn't seem to be an issue. I think a hybrid format would work really well in the novice groups. That's great to have compared to having just a single instructor for reference points.
When you're working on your lines, lead/follow is great. Once you're in upper intermediate and advanced, you get the benefit of the same experience in traffic but from multiple "instructors." I overheard someone after one of my sessions saying they followed me for a few corners, then tried my line and found quite a bit of lap time.
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