Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 105 Renault European Cup (Two-in-One)

"Chinese rookie, in the interview after the game you said the championship was a foregone conclusion. Where does this confidence come from?"

"Driver Bei, do you really think your talent and hard work can crush your opponents?"

"North, Europe is the highest level of racing in the world. I'm afraid you've misjudged your own abilities!"

Faced with the reporters' barrage of questions, Chen Xiangbei just smiled and said nothing.

Sky Sports' news has already generated enough heat, and any further outrageous remarks would be excessive.

And to take a step back, the content of the media reports was not entirely what Chen Xiangbei intended.

He just wants to take advantage of this popularity instead of letting the traffic hold him hostage.

Seeing that the heat was almost on, Odette seized the opportunity to move over and replied to the reporters present: "Dear media friends, I think your questions are quite meaningless. Don't forget that Bei won the pole position in Renault's first race. His talent and ability have been proven at Silverstone, there is no doubt about that!"

"What you see as wild talk is nothing more than Bei Shili's own statement. Do you understand?"

The idea that too much is as bad as too little is not only understood by Chen Xiangbei, but also by Odeto.

There are many ways to convey attitude and toughness to the outside world. It is not necessary for the driver to say every word himself. Some things will lower the level if said too much.

Often at this time, a "mouth substitute" is needed to express it, just like after Verstappen became the WDC (Drivers' Champion), many of the dissatisfactions with the Red Bull team and its opponents were criticized by his father Verstappen!
So much so that you can often see in the news that Verstappen has made some outrageous remarks.

Now what Odeto has to do is to become Chen Xiangbei's "mouth substitute".

Later generations on the Internet described this kind of leader's behavior of making harsh remarks as "Ao Sheng" if successful and "Ao Hai" if unsuccessful.

That is to say, it highlights the meaning of talking nonsense.

With Odetto's extremely pretentious words, many audience members who were already dissatisfied with Chen Xiangbei because of Sky Sports' report were even more angry.

"FUCK YOU, who is this old guy? I saw him showing off in front of the camera yesterday."

"Odetto, the team leader of the Superdream team, is an old guy who can't make it in the F1 paddock."

"In the past, you flattered the Japanese to become the team leader, but now you're not even letting the Chinese rookies go?"

"Odeto, no matter how much you brag about the Chinaman, he will never be the next F1 driver!"

Hearing the boos and shouts from the audience, the faint smile on Chen Xiangbei's face faded.

He knew that Odette was taking the blame for him.

It is obvious that the reporters are not stupid. The protagonist at the center of public opinion is Chen Xiangbei. How could they be led by an Odetto who "takes the bullet"?

They still pointed the microphone at Chen Xiangbei, who was standing to the side. Someone loudly questioned, "Bei, listen to the boos from the audience. Have you ever considered that your words will make you a public enemy of the track?"

In response to the reporter's question, Chen Xiangbei, who had been silent before, moved and was about to reach out to take the microphone.

Odeto saw what Chen Xiangbei was up to, held his wrist, and gently shook his head. All the interview questions were left to him, and the reporters were hoping Chen Xiangbei would lose his temper and come up with a big story!

But this time, Chen Xiangbei did not follow Odeto's instructions.

He took the microphone and said, "The champion is destined to be the biggest enemy on the track. I am honored to be the public enemy of the track!"

After that, Chen Xiangbei handed the microphone back to the reporter, turned around and walked away expressionlessly. He felt that his image at the moment was that of an emotionless track killer!
Seeing this, the media reporters were still determined to continue to press the issue, but Odette winked at the maintenance technician team.

Liang Chi understood what he meant and immediately led Feng Yong, Zhao Lei, and several technicians from the Super Dream Team over to form a human wall to separate Chen Xiangbei from the race reporters.

This kind of "human wall" operation is often seen in the F1 paddock, but in most cases it is when the car enters the pit for maintenance or adjustment, preventing reporters from taking pictures of the car chassis or core parameters on the laptop screen.

Now Odetto uses the human wall tactic to block reporters from interviewing, and the effect is quite good.

After all, except for Liang Chi who is shorter than 1.8 meters, Ayong and Lei Ge are both big and strong men. Just standing there can block the camera completely!

"Bei, you're a little impulsive in starting a conversation."

Odette came over and gave a warning.

But then a smile appeared on his face and he added, "But I like it!"

Odeto could feel Chen Xiangbei's confidence, determination and desire for the championship from his answer. This kid was indeed not affected by public opinion.

"Thank you, Captain Odeto."

Chen Xiangbei thanked him and said, "Being a mouthpiece" is one of the dirty and tiring jobs. It can be felt from the abuse from the audience at the track that the old man has attracted a lot of hatred and fire.

Facing Chen Xiangbei's thanks, Odetto shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I don't care. As long as you can win the championship, I'm looking forward to seeing those pissed-off faces!"

"Okay, then let's give those who doubt us a good slap in the face."

"NICE!"

The audience was already furious, and if they knew that people were still talking and laughing in Mewtwo's P-room, they would be even angrier.

……

At 2:20 pm, there are only ten minutes left before the start of the Renault European Cup.

Twenty racing cars have been neatly parked on the starting grid of the Silverstone Circuit. On the front right pole position is Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 Renault car with a white paint job.

"Xiangbei, drink some water to calm your mind."

Lu Xiaoman handed over a water bottle at this time. Since the Renault junior race did not have a water supply system like the F1 car, the drivers could only drink water before the race.

At the same time, drinking water at this time can also help regulate your mood.

"Ah."

Chen Xiangbei took the kettle and took two sips through the straw.

"Xiangbei-kun, the air and track temperatures are both quite low right now. The optimal operating temperature may not be reached after the warm-up lap."

"The first corner of the track is often very fierce. You have to keep an eye on your opponents through the rearview mirror to prevent them from causing accidents intentionally or unintentionally. Do you understand?"

Hiroki Sawano held a tactical board with notes on it that the drivers should be reminded of during the race.

The starting point and the first corner are highlighted in bold at the very front.

You have to know that Chen Xiangbei started from the front row pole position, and he would be the one who suffered the most in any track accident, so he had to find a way to avoid a collision.

Many times, opponents will take advantage of this mentality and do something like "those with bare feet are not afraid of those with shoes". They will directly put on a posture of mutual destruction at Turn 1, forcing the pole position driver to brake and give up the best line to enter the corner.

In the early days, Japanese drivers came to Europe to compete, and they suffered a lot of losses due to the fear of car damage and compensation.

It was not until the appearance of reckless men like Sato Takuma, Ide Ariharu, and Nakajima Kazuki, who emphasized the mentality of "if you want to crash, just crash, whoever steps on the brakes will be a grandson", that the European drivers' pressure-exerting behavior was slightly restrained.

Later on, due to their strength, the Japanese driver had a "different offensive and defensive situation".

You won’t hit me, right? Then I will hit you on the track!
Needless to say, Ide Yuji is a complete noob...

Takuma Sato, who is known as a genius in Japanese history, was also a reckless person after entering F1, with many cars crashing and exploding. Even the king of racing, Schumacher, was hit by several of his torpedoes, and he was so angry that he almost started a fight on the track.

To the outside of Chen Xiangbei is Magnussen. According to data, this guy was famous for his impulsiveness and roughness during his karting days. He had a high number of track penalties and accident rate, but his single lap speed was astonishingly fast.

Hiroki Sawano was really worried that the opponent would put strong pressure on Chen Xiangbei and force the pole position player to give up the line.

Although team leader Odetto has pointed out Chen Xiangbei's psychological shortcomings and asked him to be tougher on the track, it is still uncertain whether he will habitually give in when faced with such a wheel-to-wheel battle.

Even if Chen Xiangbei has overcome his psychological "fear", Magnussen is not the kind of driver who pretends to scare people. He really dares to collide with the pole position.

If Chen Xiangbei doesn't give up the line, he will also suffer, and it seems to be an unsolvable problem.

In addition, if the tire temperature is not high enough, the grip will naturally be weak.

Even if the driver has no intention of crashing, it is not uncommon for him to accelerate at full speed on the long straight and fail to brake in order to get a better line into the corner.

There is no shortage of famous scenes of "torpedo" clearing the stage in F1, let alone this low-level Renault event.

"Understood. I will stick to my cornering line."

Chen Xiangbei nodded, without showing any concern.

As long as you start fast enough, the drivers behind you won’t be able to catch up with you!

In addition to this important matter, Hiroki Sawano also gave Chen Xiangbei instructions on several key points.

For example, pay attention to tire wear over long distances, prevent brake discs from overheating, etc.

When it comes to professional issues alone, Hiroki Sawano has no problem, after all, he is the double champion of Japan's top competitions.

However, as a driver of the older generation, coupled with the Japanese national character, he cannot be as free and easy and break the rules as Odetto.

Soon the countdown sounded, reminding irrelevant people on the track to leave.

Liang Chi came to Chen Xiangbei's side at this moment, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Kid, come on, try to have the national anthem played on the podium."

"Uncle Liang, I will."

Chen Xiangbei smiled and nodded, then pushed down the visor of his helmet, hiding his entire face in shadow.

As the crew members and staff on the track evacuated, the Mercedes-Benz CLK55 safety car came to the end of the starting grid to suppress the car, while the drivers fixed their eyes on the indicator lights on the horizontal bar.

The moment the five red lights went out, Chen Xiangbei took the lead and started, running in the front and doing serpentine maneuvers to warm up the tires.

The warm-up lap in the race is different from the warm-up lap in qualifying. To be precise, the warm-up lap in qualifying is not called a "warm-up lap", it is just a warm-up lap.

Drivers can exit the pits and overtake at will, and the order of the cars in front and behind is not restricted.

In the race, the tires must be warmed up according to the qualifying order, and overtaking is not allowed during the entire process.

Because everyone is moving around the track in a sluggish manner, overtaking can easily lead to a collision, which will be regarded as dangerous driving by the event organizers.

And in theory, this kind of overtaking is meaningless. After the tire warm-up, the car still has to stop at the designated starting grid and cannot improve its starting position.

Of course, nothing is absolute, and there were many famous scenes of overtaking and causing trouble during the warm-up lap.

For example, in 18, Perez overtook Hartley and was penalized 10 seconds by the FIA.

The most famous warm-up lap overtaking incident in history was in 94 when Schumacher twice overtook the British driver, and later F1 world champion Damon Hill, at the Silverstone Circuit in front of hundreds of thousands of home spectators.

At that time, Schumacher was so arrogant that he looked down on everyone. The arrogant words of Odetto and Chen Xiangbei were not even as good as his younger brothers.

In the first seven races of 94, Schumacher won six championships and one runner-up. His strongest competitor, Senna, also died unexpectedly. The only driver in the entire paddock who was qualified to compete for the world championship was Senna's teammate Damon Hill.

In order to humiliate his opponents and show his strength and dominance, Schumacher made such a big move during the warm-up lap, which almost angered the hundreds of thousands of spectators at the British home stadium.

And after the FIA ​​ruled that he had committed a foul, Schumacher still acted like an "outlaw" and announced through TR that he refused to accept the punishment.

I have seen arrogant people, but I have never seen such an arrogant FIA!

Not only was Schumacher given a black flag to be expelled from the paddock, but he was also banned for two races after the race. One race championship and one runner-up place were also cancelled that year, almost turning the seven-time champion into a six-time champion.

It can be said that Schumacher fully demonstrated the four words "youthful and frivolous"!

Fortunately, such cases are rare after all. Chen Xiangbei completed the warm-up lap normally, and the twenty cars returned to their starting grids again.

While waiting for the red light to go out, the racing engineer of the Manor team gave instructions directly to Costa, who was third in qualifying.

"Costa, make use of your starting advantage and go straight to the inside of Driver North in the first corner, letting him fight with Magnussen of the Carlin team!"

Costa's style is very similar to Magnussen's: both drivers are strong in single laps but weak in long-distance races. With so little information available on Chen Xiangbei, his overall strength remains a mystery. However, given the level of other drivers on the track, the Manor team's engineers are well aware that Costa may not necessarily win the long-distance race.

The best way, of course, is to overtake Chen Xiangbei in the corner, letting the pole position and the second place fight each other!
"Magnussen's style is quite aggressive and he will probably do the same thing. There is a risk of collision between the three cars."

Costa replied that he and Magnussen had raced together in karting and knew each other's racing style very well.

At that time, the inside and outside lanes will compete for the road at the same time, and Chen Xiangbei will be sandwiched in the middle, forming a "double ghosts knocking on the door" scene. If the Chinese boy does not want to crash, the only way left is to brake hard and give way.

To be honest, this is a bit too much of a bully. The other party may not be so soft-hearted as to avoid it.

"If there's a risk of a collision, you can escape by 'cutting the watermelon' through the buffer zone."

The Manor team naturally thought of a retreat route. There is a buffer zone on the inside of the curve, and Costa can drive in to "escape" without losing position. It can be said that the plan is perfect!

"receive."

With the team's instructions, Costa can be said to have no worries anymore.

Everything was ready, the starting light beeped again, and twenty drivers began to step on the accelerator to increase the speed.
Chen Xiangbei also tapped the accelerator lightly, using extremely precise force to control the speed. Even the data monitoring screen in the production room showed a straight line without any ripples.

The indicator lights above the track went out randomly, and Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 Renault car rushed out like a white lightning. His starting reaction could only be described as "amazing".

Costa, who was parked behind Chen Xiangbei, had already prepared to take advantage of his fast start and directly start from the long straight to pull out and block the inside line.

As a result, he never expected that he would be left behind by Chen Xiangbei at the starting stage!
[Is the Chinese kid's reaction speed so fast? ]

Costa's face was full of disbelief. In all his years of experience in professional competitions, there were only a handful of drivers who could be faster than him at the start. This was also the point that the team valued and was proud of for him.

What is even more terrifying is that Costa believes that there were no mistakes or flaws in his starting operation, but he is still not faster than Chen Xiangbei.

What kind of reflexes does this Chinese kid have?
Not only Costa was extremely shocked, but James, who was alone in the studio today, was also stunned for a second before he began to explain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the race has officially begun. We can see that the Chinese driver Bei has an incredible start. Both his throttle control and reaction are perfect, leaving no opportunity for the drivers behind him to take advantage!"

"Oh, Bei not only left his opponent no chance, he also demonstrated his tough style and aggressiveness. After the start, he changed lanes directly to the left, blocking Magnussen of the Carlin team and not giving his opponent any chance to overtake."

"We all know that Magnussen is famous for his lap time and speed, and his driving style on the track is extremely aggressive, even reckless."

"Is Bei's move an attempt to suppress Magnussen's overtaking, or a declaration of war and provocation?"

James felt his emotions aroused instantly. He thought this would be a race in which the Chinese drivers would defend and the European drivers would attack.

Who would have thought that before Magnussen even made a move, Chen Xiangbei took the lead in suppressing him.

It seems that Bei's driving style is just like his media interviews, full of gunpowder!

Looking at Chen Xiangbei who changed lanes and blocked his way, Magnussen's face was full of surprise.

To be honest, he always felt that he had a "bad reputation". In previous games, his opponents would often choose to avoid three-pointers, but today, the Chinese newcomer took the initiative to block the opponent's shot.

Does taking the pole position in the first race mean you are invincible?
Anger and fighting spirit filled Magnussen's chest. He felt that he had to teach this Chinese boy a lesson and let him understand that there are always people better than you.

The field of Formula One is ultimately dominated by European drivers!
Without any hesitation, Magnussen launched an attack on the long straight.

In theory, the Renault Formula uses standard-issue racing cars, and each car has exactly the same power. If both drivers floor the accelerator, it is impossible for the car behind to overtake the car in front. The only way to overtake is to follow the curve.

But in fact, due to the existence of the wake vacuum zone, when two racing cars with the same power are speeding on a long straight, the speed of the rear car will definitely be faster than the front car, so it can use the "slingshot effect" to overtake.

And it's not just faster. The car behind you driving in the wake area can also save more fuel and tires.

The Renault Formula only runs 1 laps, and with the junior formula team members, it is impossible to complete the tire change in just a few seconds like in the F event.

In order to save tens of seconds of pit stop time for tire changing, under normal circumstances, the team and the driver will only choose one set of tires to run to the end!

This means that in the Renault Formula race, the car has to enter the tire protection rhythm from the very beginning. Otherwise, during the nearly one-hour race, the tires may be worn out and not last the entire race.

This is why, in later generations of F2 and lower-level races, no one is willing to run in the front and act as cannon fodder. They all plan to take advantage of the slipstream to protect their tires, and wait until the final stage of the race to use the tire grip advantage to overtake.

Chen Xiangbei's unique start and Magnussen's unyielding attack made the tens of thousands of spectators at the Silverstone Circuit scream with excitement.

No one likes to watch boring races where the drivers are in a coordinated "train" situation. The audience wants to see exciting overtaking and offensive and defensive battles between drivers.

I thought this kind of scene would not be seen until at least the second half, but Chen Xiangbei's "troublemaking" brought a surprise in advance.

"WOW, this Chinese guy has something. At least he has some blood on the track."

"I thought he would be a softie, but I didn't expect him to dare to provoke Magnussen."

"Even though the Chinaman will definitely lose, he's still better than a coward."

The audience at the track also started talking about it, and Chen Xiangbei's reputation temporarily improved a little, no longer full of ridicule and abuse like before.

"Senior Zeye, what is Xiangbei-kun doing?"

Mizutani Sho looked at the track broadcast and had no idea what Chen Xiangbei was intending.

This kind of pressure on the starting straight has no practical significance, not to mention that the car behind can catch the slipstream and use the "slingshot effect" to pull ahead.

Even if you succeed in suppressing it, it will only slow down your own speed and that of your opponent, allowing other opponents to take advantage.

According to the logic of maximizing the benefits of the race, Chen Xiangbei should speed up as much as possible to seize the best cornering line!

"do not know."

Sawano Hiroki didn't understand either, so he turned to look at Odeto and asked, "Leader, is Xiangbei-kun a little irrational?"

Chen Xiangbei's behavior seemed to be driven by emotion, and he suppressed Magnussen just to prove his own strength.

After all, Magnussen was hailed as the strongest driver in this Renault European Cup. Chen Xiangbei's pole position was still not recognized by the outside world, so he was naturally not convinced.

Facing Sawano Hiroki's question, Odeto smiled and said, "No, Bei is very rational now. He wants his opponent to lose control of his emotions!"

Is the opponent losing control of his emotions?

Hiroki Sawano didn't understand what Odeto meant, he could only focus on the broadcast on the screen.

On the track, facing Chen Xiangbei's "provocation", Magnussen immediately fought back strongly, using the wake effect of the car behind to overtake.

Chen Xiangbei seemed to see through his opponent's intention and changed lanes to the outside again to block the car.

Seeing Chen Xiangbei's continuous lane changing and blocking, Magnussen subconsciously smiled. This "dragon drawing" operation was the routine he was most familiar with.

To use an old Chinese saying to describe it, it's like waving a sword in front of Guan Gong.

He immediately turned the steering wheel back to the middle of the track, intending to overtake from the other side.

And with the acceleration of the slingshot effect, the front wheels of Magnussen's car have reached the position of Chen Xiangbei's rear wheels. The Chinese newcomer cannot change lanes to block the car unless the two cars collide directly.

However, after a round of offensive and defensive confrontation, the long straight line at the start was completed and the two cars arrived at the T1 corner.

To be precise, three cars arrived at the T1 corner!

At this time, Magnussen unexpectedly discovered that he had exchanged positions with Chen Xiangbei and came directly to the middle of the track. Costa of the Manor team on the inside had unknowingly caught up and seized the cornering line.

The two cars sandwiched themselves in the middle, but the width of the T1 curve absolutely could not allow three cars to turn at the same time.

At this moment, Magnussen seemed to realize something.

Not only him, Costa on the inside of the track also found that something was wrong.

The team originally planned to use two cars to sandwich Chen Xiangbei, but how come it became Magnussen now?
"Magnussen, brake and avoid, brake and avoid!"

Emergency instructions from the Carlin team came through the headphones. They had already seen Costa's intention from the Manor team, which was to overtake by forcefully taking the line from the inside.

The team is well aware of Magnussen's character. He is currently trapped in the middle and cannot move. If he enters the corner at this speed, he will definitely crash.

For the Carlin team, they believe in Magnussen's strength and can easily catch up even if he falls behind temporarily. There is no need for him and Costa to retire at the first corner.

Before he could even reply with a "Roger that," Magnussen had already stepped on the brakes.

He was just reckless, not stupid. His talent and driving skills were there, so how could he possibly crash with Costa and let Chen Xiangbei take advantage of it.

It wasn't just Magnussen who got scared. Costa, inspired by his opponent's reputation, also stepped on the brakes and made some space inside the buffer zone, which created a strange scene of both cars slowing down.

Chen Xiangbei on the outside was not affected at all. He entered the T1 corner at high speed. Then, taking advantage of the fact that T1 and T2 of the Silverstone Circuit are both high-speed corners, he stepped on the accelerator and left his two opponents far behind!
[Two ghosts knocking on the door? ]

Chen Xiangbei glanced at the racing car behind him through the rearview mirror, a hint of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Stereotypes are certainly not a good thing, but if they are used well, they can become a good thing.

He had memorized all the driver information given by Odetto, and the personality styles and line-track techniques of his opponents on the track were all firmly in his mind.

Chen Xiangbei knew that Costa behind him would definitely want to take advantage of the Chinese driver, who was a "soft persimmon", and use a "torpedo" to rush into the corner. He bet that Costa would give in and step on the brakes.

Magnussen on the other side was not someone to be trifled with, and it was impossible for Chen Xiangbei to leave him room to turn.

In F1, putting two cars in a closed position is a deadlock with no solution for many drivers except to brake hard and give way. It is even more difficult for Chen Xiangbei to break the deadlock.

But unfortunately, compared with the stereotype of his opponent, Chen Xiangbei is the one who truly knows himself and his enemy.

I have predicted all your little tricks, so how can you still play dirty tricks?
"Oh, the Chinese driver Bei successfully provoked a fight between Magnussen and Costa, leaving these two main rivals behind!"

"I have reason to suspect that Bei's provocation at the start was intentional, just to exchange positions with Magnussen and avoid being sandwiched in the middle of the track."

If it is said that James had always viewed Chen Xiangbei with a neutral and negative eye.

After this scene unfolded, he realized that the so-called arrogance and prestige were merely a facade given by the new Chinese player. Bei's track IQ was astonishingly high, and he had both opponents at his fingertips!
"What do you mean, the Chinaman cheated Magnussen?"

"This position exchange is really something, otherwise North wouldn't be able to make the turn at all."

"If Bei was caught in the middle, wouldn't Costa and Magnussen slow down?"

"The Chinese rookie was almost a second behind in the two high-speed corners. What are Magnussen and the others doing?"

"Hurry up and catch up. Kill the Chinaman first!"

Some of the spectators on the track were confused and didn't understand what was going on, while others vaguely realized Chen Xiangbei's plan.

Others don't care about tactics at all; they're just angry about the European drivers lagging behind.

Especially the double braking of Magnussen and Costa directly allowed Chen Xiangbei to take the lead by almost one second. If the fight continued, the race could be declared over early!

"Zawano, now you understand why Bei did this."

In room P, Odetto had a smile of praise on his face.

Compared with Japanese drivers like Hiroki Sawano, he naturally knows more about these talented European teenagers on the track.

Chen Xiangbei grasped the opponent's psychology and developed the most advantageous tactics for himself in a short period of time.

Odeto always knew that Chen Xiangbei was very calm, but he never expected that this Chinese boy could be so steady!

"Si Guoyi."

Without saying anything, Hiroki Sawano could only utter an exclamation.

Chen Xiangbei's driving skills are not enough to crush the opponent, so he cannot give an answer for the time being.

His IQ really crushed his opponents on the track!
(End of this chapter)