Restart year 12 or gap year

hi guys ive been posting a lot about this topic cuz im very stressed about this
basically im in year 12, just did my end of year exams, and my predicted grades arent enough for uni applications and I'm deciding between restarting Year 12 or doing a gap year after Year 13.
Restarting year 12 means I can basically rewind and use my experiences of year 12 to make better choices in the re year 12, like revising earlier and asking teachers for help. And it may mean that my end of year exams used for ucas prediction grades (the exams that im doing now but kinda flunked) will go better as i know what to expect. But it also costs me being a year behind my current friends, and they have been the most helpful and suportive friends and being a year below them would mean not the same form, not same frees, not same classes etc, and also I'm bad at making new friends so i might struggle in the resit as I know nobody who will be in year 12 next year, and i am worried that will affect future friendships as well as losing the closeness with my curernt friends.
Taking a gap year after year 13 means i will continue on Y12 to Y13, but not apply to unis during Y13 and instead apply using my (maybe future) better and improved grades after taking a gap year. This extra time gives me the opportunity to gain work experience or do wider reading or go to uni open days and stuff, but other than that I'm not too sure what else i can do other than that and travelling (but I'm not too into traveling, that what my school advised us to do). Taking a gap year also lets me be in the same year group as my friends, which is good, but it gives me less time to prepare for Y13 mocks and actual A level exams, and I risk not getting good grades in the end. And year 13 as far as Ive heard from curent Y13s at my school is pretty stressful and fast paced and rushed, and I don't know if i can cope with the increased content and catch up and revise and train past paper questions at the same time
if theres anyone out there who has resat year 12 or taken a gap year, please share your experiences, i need advice thankssssss )))

omg this has come at the best time! i'm also in year 12 and because of mental health issues with school, i was really (and still kinda am) burnt out from gcses and settling in to my new school was really hard for me, as a result i really flopped in mocks and because my school doesn't do resitting year 12 i decided not to apply for university at all this year. i didn't know you were allowed to not apply at all - i thought you have to apply for an alternative course for 2026 entry but it wouldn't make any sense to me because i am adamant on the exact course i want to study. plus, if i do well in year 13 i can take a gap year to fully recover properly from burnout, get a job, improve my personal statement, and gain some work experience too, before applying with my achieved results for 2027 entry.
The one thing I was confused about was attending open days for uni - do i do it this year despite not applying or next year when i'm doing my year 13 exams?