Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 104: News that ignited public opinion (two in one)

Zhou Guanyu?
Hearing this name, a smile appeared on Chen Xiangbei's face unconsciously. How could he not know him?

In reality, Zhou Guanyu started learning karting at the age of 8, and his introductory teacher was Ma Qingye, who was known as the number one Chinese Formula One driver at the time.

In 08, Zhou Guanyu came to the Donghai International Circuit to watch the F1 Grand Prix and became a fan of "Big Brother" Alonso. He also left the famous photo of him holding the Renault flag on the Internet.

Next, Zhou Guanyu went to the UK to receive training in karting and single-seater formula racing. It can be said that he is a Chinese driver trained under the overseas system.

"I've heard of Zhou Guanyu. He's really good at running out."

Chen Xiangbei nodded in agreement.

"you have heard?"

Ma Qingye's face was full of confusion. Zhou Guanyu was only ten years old this year, and his current professional achievement was only the third place in a domestic karting competition. Logically, no one would pay attention to him.

"Well, I participated in the CKC event at Huasai Sports last year. I've been following some domestic karting drivers and happened to watch Zhou Guanyu's race."

In response to Ma Qingye's question, Chen Xiangbei started to make up stories.

He did pay attention to Zhou Guanyu's games, but that was a matter of another world.

"Brother Ma, Guanyu has good long-distance stability, but he has shortcomings in single laps and at the limit. He needs to be more aggressive and powerful. Only in this way can he gain a better foothold in the F1 paddock in the future."

Chen Xiangbei is very familiar with Zhou Guanyu's career path. Now he has become a pioneer of Chinese Formula One racing. Even if the two parties are not involved for the time being, he still hopes to give advice and help.

Zhou Guanyu's qualifying lap performance has been very weak throughout his career, and his qualifying results are generally at the lower end of the field.

The overall style tends to be stable. The performance in the long distance of the race is very good, but it is slightly inferior in the fierce wheel-to-wheel competition.

In a sense, Zhou Guanyu's shortcomings are the common shortcomings of Chen Xiangbei or even Chinese Formula One drivers.

That is because they are limited by the lack of funds and backing, and are afraid of the negative impact of vehicle damage and accidents. They dare not confront their opponents head-on for the sake of seats, and over time they become more and more timid and "weak and vulnerable."

But in the paddock, many times, whether a driver is worth keeping is evaluated based on the upper limit they have shown.

Single-lap performance is the external manifestation of a driver's upper limit and talent!
If you are afraid of crashing and don’t dare to challenge your limits, you won’t be able to drive the “God’s lap”.

If you can't drive a "God lap", you won't be able to show your upper limit, and the team will not train mediocre drivers for a long time.

As a result of the conflict between the two, the career path of Chinese Formula One drivers is heading towards a vicious circle.

Relying on his decades of rich experience in the paddock, Odetto judged the "psychological barriers" brought about by Chen Xiangbei's career in his previous life, and constantly encouraged him to be more radical and adventurous.

At least at the level of Formula Renault, car damage can be compensated.

By the time you get to the F1 paddock, your skills have already been finalized, and if you think about breaking through and taking risks, the damage to your car will be unbearable.

Rich like Latifi, well-registered like Mick Schumacher, and well-sponsored like Perez – under the influence of frequent crashes, no matter how strong their backgrounds were, they couldn't withstand the pressure from the paddock and outside public opinion, and eventually lost their seats and were left without a car.

If similar situations happened to Chinese drivers, their tolerance would be even lower.

It’s better to “crash” early to feel the loss of control and understand your limits.

It’s the same old saying, the F1 paddock does not need mediocre drivers, especially as the teams’ funds become increasingly abundant. They would rather draw newcomers than use old players whose potential can be seen at a glance.

Chen Xiangbei does not want his past self, or Ma Qingye now, to pass on the "fear" of the older generation of Chinese drivers to the next generation of newcomers.

The Zhou Guanyu in this world should be even more powerful!

"Xiangbei, it seems that you have indeed paid attention to Guanyu and know his current driving style."

"I'll remind him of that."

Ma Qingye nodded and responded.

This was all the advice Chen Xiangbei could give at the moment. The two of them exchanged a few brief words, exchanged contact information, and then waved goodbye.

Back on the return bus, Odetto said, "Bei, I remember that Chinese driver just now."

"Have you seen Ma Qingye?"

Chen Xiangbei was very surprised. As the team leader of an F1 team before, Odetto theoretically would not take a low-level driver like Ma Qingye seriously.

"Well, I watched the A1 National Cup race, and it just so happened that there were horses competing there."

"He doesn't have the talent to drive a Formula One car. He can't go down this path."

Odeto was not familiar with Ma Qingye, so he spoke very bluntly.

Chen Xiangbei did not comment on this, but it is a fact that Ma Qingye is only one step away from the F1 team.

But it is also a fact that his lap times cannot gain a foothold in the F1 paddock.

The last step for Ma Qingye to join the F2012 team in 1 was to take the young driver test on the Silverstone circuit. After running a full 300km, he could obtain a super license.

Among the young drivers of the same period, there is also an old acquaintance, Bottas.

From the perspective of Chinese car fans, there may be a sense of time and space confusion. It turns out that Zhou Guanyu’s elder brother Bottas is actually in the same grade as Ma Qingye, and the two almost entered the F1 paddock together.

In the test results at Silverstone Circuit, Bottas' fastest lap time with the Williams FW34 was 1 minute 31 seconds.

Ma Qingye drove the HRT team's F112 car and ran the fastest lap of 1 minute 37 seconds, which directly made him the last among the test drivers of the same period.

There is no doubt that Bottas had strong single-lap ability in the early days. In many cases, he could compete with ordinary world champions on equal terms, and was only inferior to Hamilton, a historical seven-time champion.

However, the astonishing difference of 6.393 seconds was enough for the F1 team engineers who observed the test data to sentence Ma Qingye's talent and ceiling to "death" in their hearts.

This is why, after the HRT team went bankrupt due to failing to secure sufficient sponsorship, no other F1 team extended an olive branch to Ma Qingye.

As a younger generation in the racing world, Chen Xiangbei naturally could not be as straightforward as Odette and could only respond with silence.

Perhaps sensing Chen Xiangbei's embarrassment, Odetto added in a soothing tone, "But I've also seen Ma's performances. He's very talented at driving an RV. Maybe he chose the wrong direction."

Odetto's words are not "worldly wisdom". Ma Qingye's achievements and talents in the field of touring cars far exceed his development in the field of formula one.

For a long time, the WTCC championship title was the highest honor a Chinese driver could obtain in world competitions.

But Chen Xiangbei understood this truth, and he didn't say much.

After all, Formula One is the pinnacle of track racing. Who would be willing to admit that they are not good enough before encountering failure?

At this time, persuading Ma Qingye to give up Formula One and switch to RVs is simply a thankless task.

For many things, even if we know the historical process, we can only let nature take its course.

Back at the Mewtwo base, despite Lu Xiaoman's complaints, she still gave Chen Xiangbei post-match physical therapy.

Don’t think that the qualifying round only looked like a few laps. In fact, the two flying laps were an extreme strain on one’s physical strength, especially the inertial dive caused by the two heavy brakes at Turn T6. The seat belt was forced on Chen Xiangbei, leaving several purple marks!
To be honest, if Chen Xiangbei had braked a little harder, or a little lighter, his qualifying race might have ended early.

This is the charm of professional racing, always on the edge of losing control!
After completing the physical therapy, Chen Xiangbei did not perform any physical training, but only did some aerobic exercise in the evening to maintain his physical condition.

Just as he was about to go back to his room to rest early, Ayong ran into the gym with excitement and shouted, "Brother Bei, you're on TV, come and see it!"

On TV?

Hearing Ayong's greeting, Chen Xiangbei felt a little curious.

Could it be that the first round of the Renault European Cup, thanks to the Silverstone Circuit in the UK, was really broadcast on Sky Sports?
You have to know that Sky Sports is a world-class TV station. Its influence and communication power in the sports world is not inferior to the BBC and CNN that we often hear about.

Chen Xiangbei had never appeared on CCTV in China, let alone local TV stations that broadcast advertisements for Jinkela and Melatonin every day. However, he appeared on the world-class Sky Sports as soon as he arrived in the UK.

It really highlights the fact that when one side is dark, the other side is bright!

With a little excitement, Chen Xiangbei followed Ayong to the maintenance workshop. The display screen originally used to monitor data was now playing reporter Hank's post-match interview with Chen Xiangbei.

Originally, Chen Xiangbei still had a smile on his face, thinking that his buddy would become a celebrity after appearing on TV, which would make it much easier for him to get sponsorship and endorsements in the future.

But when he saw the eye-catching news headline, the smile on his face froze in the next second.

"A Chinese newcomer boasts that his talent and hard work will crush his opponents!"

Did I say that?
In an instant, Chen Xiangbei felt that his memory was confused. If he remembered correctly, his original words should be "more talented and harder working."

Although the words are somewhat similar, the tone and meaning are very different.

And it's not just the title that is exaggerated. The content of the program is completely nonsense. It only uses the interview footage of Chen Xiangbei, but the sound is a voice-over added later.

After securing pole position, Chinese driver Bei mocked his rivals for their perceived lack of talent in handling the car. The Silverstone victory had already been decided.

Along with this voice-over, a scene appeared on the screen showing Chen Xiangbei turning around and smiling at Odeto.

Then Chen Xiangbei's original voice was released.

"Champion, without a doubt!"

To be honest, just looking at the camera footage and Chen Xiangbei's answer, it really looked like he was mocking his opponent along with team leader Odetto.

But in fact, the smiles of Chen Xiangbei and Odetto were purely a tacit understanding between the two. They were just small gestures to respond to the bold words released in the pre-match interview and to demonstrate the team atmosphere and stance.

The "charm" of news editing is fully demonstrated at this moment.

Now the team members in the maintenance workshop looked at each other in bewilderment. They had originally called Chen Xiangbei over to share the joy of being on TV, but things turned out to be completely the opposite of what they thought was going to be.

"Hang your mother, is there anyone who spreads rumors like that?"

Liang Chi cursed angrily. Even though he was knowledgeable and experienced, he had never seen such a blatant and outrageous operation.

If he hadn't been in the P room at the time repairing the car and heard the interview conversation between Chen Xiangbei and Hank, he would probably have believed it!

"Brother Bei, my English is not very good. You didn't say this at the time, right?" A Yong asked confusedly. He began to doubt whether he had heard it wrong.

"I did say that, but that's not what I meant..."

Chen Xiangbei responded awkwardly. The original sound was indeed his, but the intention of expression was completely different.

"Xiang Beijun is just a little bit confident, how can he be so arrogant!"

Mizutani Sho's face was full of indignation. He only said a few words in the interview, but through editing and voice-over, he made Chen Xiangbei look like a "bully".

"This is slander and defamation, and it's entirely legal to sue!"

Hiroki Sawano was very angry. He had been racing in Japan for decades, and this was the first time he had encountered such shameless operation.

"Sue? Who said we're going to sue?"

At this moment, a voice came from behind, and Odeto came to the maintenance workshop at some point.

The old man walked up to the screen with a look of excitement on his face, pointed at the station logo and said excitedly, "MAN, do you know how influential Sky Sports is?"

"Do you know how many athletes want to get this exclusive piece of 'rumor-mongering' news?"

"Bei's name will soon spread throughout the UK and even the world's racing circles. Do you know how much profit this will bring?"

"Sue? Stop kidding! If possible, I'd like to give a medal to the Sky Sports reporter and director!"

Odetto was getting more and more excited as he spoke. He had made all kinds of bold statements in the interview before the race, just hoping that the audience would remember that a famous Chinese driver was participating in the race. He never dared to think that Chen Xiangbei would be on Sky Sports.

Even though Sky reporter Hank interviewed Chen Xiangbei after the race, Odetto believed it was just journalistic procedure. It was a formality for the pole-sitter, and there was no chance it would actually appear on Sky Sports News.

Even if they do, at most they will just make a simple announcement, mentioning that someone won the pole position in the first round of the Renault European Cup.

Chen Xiangbei’s treatment now is more than just a talk show, it is almost becoming a personal “special topic”!
All I can say is that being an underdog has its advantages. Indeed, under normal circumstances, Chinese drivers have nothing attractive about them.

However, under special circumstances, it can arouse people's curiosity, which is why the editors of Sky Sports come up with a "special topic".

In China, it is similar to a black table tennis player from Africa who participated in the national team preliminaries and defeated a group of talented young people at the provincial level in China.

Originally, this result in the preliminary qualifying round was very ordinary and had no value in reporting at all. However, after adding the two buffs of "African blacks" and "table tennis", it immediately attracted the attention of the public.

Not to mention that the media exaggerated the situation and made the African players boast that they would sweep all the Chinese table tennis masters to win the championship!

There is no doubt that if such a big event is really created, no matter whether it has positive or negative impact, it can at least attract the attention of domestic audiences and directly increase the popularity.

After Odetto made these remarks, all the team members looked at him in amazement.

At first glance, this seems like a fallacy, but if you think about it carefully, it does make some sense.

With Sky Sports' operation, Chen Xiangbei's fame is not limited to the tens of thousands of people watching the game on site. Perhaps even the management of the F1 team knows that an arrogant Chinese driver has appeared in the Renault European Cup.

Even if they are complaining or unhappy, as long as they pay attention to Chen Xiangbei's race, it is equivalent to entering the sight of the F1 paddock directly!
"Bei, in the next period of time, you may suffer a lot of ridicule and even humiliation."

"But I believe you're not that fragile, right?"

After expressing the bright prospects, Odetto came to Chen Xiangbei and warned him about the "cruel" situation that would emerge in the near future.

It is obvious that whether it is out of dissatisfaction with Chen Xiangbei's arrogance or the consistent superiority of white people in Europe and the United States, the impact of this news report will definitely be negative in the short term.

In Odetto's eyes, Chen Xiangbei was just a 19-year-old young man who came to Europe to compete for the first time.

He has never experienced "cyberbullying" and is not exposed to the "black and red" heat.

Some fragile young people may not be able to withstand the psychological pressure brought by public ridicule.

There is a famous saying that goes, "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."

Even someone as great as Schumacher endured countless criticisms and abuses throughout his career in order to win. Did he ever care about it?
After winning seven championships, he still deserves to be called the "King of Cars"!
Alonso, the evergreen "big brother" in the racing world, was plagued by various scandals in 07 and 08, including the "spy gate" and the remote control of his teammates to deliberately crash their cars, which fully demonstrated the political face of the paddock.

The audience can curse him all they want, but he still stands tall for twenty years!
Chen Xiangbei's little thing is nothing in Odeto's eyes.

But the Chinese kid is not himself. He has not had decades of experience in the paddock, so he still needs to be comforted when it is time to comfort him.

There are also many drivers in the Formula One world who have been crushed by the pressure. In F1 alone, there have been two such cases in recent years: De Vries and Sargent. By the time he left the paddock for the last few races, it was clear that his form was failing, and he was on the verge of collapse.

Chen Xiangbei was a little confused at first, but when he saw Odette was excited and came over to comfort him,

This contrast made him unable to hold back and he burst out laughing on the spot.

"GOOD, I knew you weren't a wimp!"

Chen Xiangbei's reaction proves that the news reports had no impact on him.

At the same time, the psychological quality shown by the Chinese boy during this period also made Odetto feel at ease.

Odeto currently doesn’t know whether Chen Xiangbei is the next F1 driver.

But he knew that this Chinese kid already had the potential to become the next F1 driver.

Even now I am still running the Renault beginner race!

After saying that, Odetto clapped his hands vigorously and said to everyone, "Get some rest. Give your best to the drivers tomorrow. As long as Bei can win the first race at Silverstone."

"Then all doubts and ridicules will turn into cheers and praises!"

I have to admit that when it comes to boosting morale, Odette is indeed a good hand.

Just a few words made the team members who were originally filled with anger and dissatisfaction immediately become full of fighting spirit.

"Roger that, Captain. Win tomorrow's main race!"

After a burst of cheers, everyone left the maintenance workshop and returned to their rooms to rest and "prepare for battle."

"Bei, you go to bed too."

Seeing that Chen Xiangbei was still standing there without moving, Odetto urged him.

"Odeto, I will do my best to win the championship tomorrow."

"If for no other reason than to prove that what you said is correct."

Chen Xiangbei is not really a child, so he certainly knows the negative impact of news reports, which is not as "beautiful" as Odeto said.

But so what?
What Odetto said was very much to his liking. Even if it was just to prove that he was right, Chen Xiangbei would fight for the championship!

"NO, NO, NO."

Odetto shook his head repeatedly, walked up to Chen Xiangbei and replied firmly, "You don't need to prove it. My words are never wrong."

[Interesting, I still underestimated this old man.]

"Okay, then to prove my own strength!"

"NICE, this is a good idea, let's do it."

"Good night, Odeto."

Chen Xiangbei replied and turned to walk towards his room.

Looking at Chen Xiangbei's departing back, the smile on Odeto's face faded. The Chinese boy took the most difficult path in Formula One.

Whether he will be criticized by thousands of people or praised by thousands of people depends on his own performance.

The next morning, the entire team was busy preparing for the afternoon's race.

After breakfast, Chen Xiangbei went to the gym for aerobic exercise as usual.

There is no standard to judge whether one is talented or not, just try to brag as much as possible.

Chen Xiangbei is telling the truth about hard work.

Today, in the gym, there is not only Chen Xiangbei, but also Kobayashi Takatoshi.

He stood in the corner and took in the scene in the maintenance workshop last night, feeling an indescribable touch in his heart.

To be honest, he had never felt any aversion to Chen Xiangbei before. There was an element of competition involved, but more of it was jealousy.

He didn't know why a Chinese newcomer with no background could win the favor of team leader Odette and quickly gain recognition from team members. Was it just because he got the pole position in the qualifying round?

But the problem is that before the pole position, the impression of Chen Xiangbei had changed significantly, including among the former Super Aguri crew members.

Last night, Kobayashi Takatoshi understood a little bit that Chen Xiangbei did have a unique personal charm.

Kindness, self-confidence, hard work, and emotional stability are all advantages of Chen Xiangbei. Outsiders may not be able to feel them at first impression, but long-term contact can give people a sense of trust.

Kobayashi Takatoshi didn't want to admit it. He felt that he was influenced by Chen Xiangbei, which was why he came to the gym for physical training.

Of course, Chen Xiangbei certainly didn't know what was going on in Kobayashi Takatoshi's mind. He just felt a little strange as to why this guy would exercise on the day of the competition.

After finishing his workout and taking a shower, Chen Xiangbei relaxed for two hours before going to have lunch.

In this way, the time came to one o'clock in the afternoon, and Chen Xiangbei arrived at the Silverstone Circuit again by car.

Compared to the qualifying race, the Silverstone Circuit for the main race was more lively, with tens of thousands of spectators waiting in the stands early.

Chen Xiangbei came out of the parking lot and walked along the maintenance passage. Before he even reached the P room, he was surrounded by a group of waiting reporters. The scene was just like interviewing a track "superstar".

It seems that Sky Sports’ news report last night has quickly fermented and attracted public attention!
(End of this chapter)