Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 122 Overtaking Like Cutting Melons and Vegetables (Part 2)

"FUCK! Driver North beat driver William (number 17) at the start. When did he become so vulnerable?"

"Without comparison, there is no harm; driver Bei's clutch and throttle coordination is truly precise."

"Don't rush to praise the Chinese, the competition has only just begun!"

The audience in the stands had differing opinions, with most showing expressions of shock.

It's worth noting that Chen Xiangbei started from pole position in Renault's first race, and facing the "double whammy" tactics of Magnussen and Costa, he opted for a clever approach rather than wheel-to-wheel attack and defense, and did not show a surprising starting speed.

Now, the launch start is followed by a lane change and braking, the whole operation is smooth and seamless.

It was as if Chen Xiangbei was the one starting from P5, while William's position at the back seemed so natural, implying that he was completely suppressed and powerless to fight back!
Not only did the audience gasp in amazement, but even the team's pit engineers, upon witnessing this scene, sent TR messages to their drivers to report the overtaking maneuver, especially ART driver Dixon, who was currently ranked ahead of Chen Xiangbei.

Although both joined the renowned ART team, Dixon's treatment was vastly different from Vergne's.

During the qualifying rounds, many people took the opportunity to criticize Chen Xiangbei for not treating his teammates like human beings and for "forcing" Kobayashi Chongzhi to give up his performance and become a drifter.

In fact, in the first race at Silverstone, ART team's Dixon was definitely regarded as a tool, acting as the "wind-breaking" locomotive throughout the race and making great contributions to Vergne's extreme light-oil tire-keeping strategy.

Dixon has considerable racing talent and lap times, but his poor fundamentals lead to inconsistent performance in races, which is the opposite of Vinier's excellent long-distance running ability.

The reason why the ART team has been able to grow and become so successful is, in a sense, because its philosophy is to prioritize results above all else.

If you can't compete with your teammates, you either have to leave or accept being a tool.

It's clear that Dixon chose the latter in order to stay with the team!
"Dixon, block the driver at Turn 1 and try to give Vergne a gap."

Without hesitation, the ART team leader gave instructions to Dixon, who was ranked P3 ahead of him.

The two most intense and easiest overtaking phases in Formula One racing are the start and the battle for the lane at Turn 1, which are also often the periods when accidents are most frequent.

The team had great confidence in Vergne's ability to maintain a tire position over long distances, coupled with the bumpy and rough surface characteristics of the Donington Park circuit.

As long as Dixon can block Chen Xiangbei at Turn 1 and give Vinier some distance to avoid being caught in the slipstream, then every lap the Chinese kid pushes to catch up will be a severe wear and tear on his tires.

At Silverstone Circuit's Turn 7, Chen Xiangbei used an extremely "lucky" method to overtake Vergne by exploiting the crossroads, ultimately becoming Renault's first race winner.

Lady Luck smiled upon him, allowing Chen Xiangbei to grab the ground on the bend.

The ART team doesn't believe the same thing will happen twice. With the tire advantage back, Vergne will definitely not be overtaken by Chen Xiangbei!

"COPY."

Dixon had no choice; the moment the team issued the order, he had to obey.

Dixon took a deep breath, then deliberately veered off the center line of the track, adopting a defensive stance to block Chen Xiangbei.

His move was undoubtedly a declaration to the outside world that even if he had to give up the best cornering line, he would not let Chen Xiangbei pass at Turn 1!

"Brother Lei, the guy from car number 6 is being too blatant."

Ah Yong, watching the broadcast from inside the P room, muttered something to his older brother Zhao Lei beside him.

"It seems that driver No. 5 Vergne is benefiting from this, which is a team strategy."

Zhao Lei replied calmly that the ART team used the same tactics in the last race and almost pulled off a comeback to win the championship.

Today, it's driver number two again protecting driver number one.

"I know."

A-Yong nodded. Although he wasn't very smart, he had studied and practiced diligently during this period, and he could still figure out the basic team strategies.

"But I don't understand, Lei-ge, is there really anyone willing to be the second driver?"

A Yong is not a race car driver, but he is deeply influenced by Chen Xiangbei.

He saw in Chen Xiangbei the spirit of a driver who would rather be shattered to pieces than slow down.

You can still feel that burning desire for victory, that unwillingness to be second to anyone!
If it doesn't affect the results, Ah Yong can understand the action of teammates working together to block the opponent.

However, ART team's strategy was to abandon the number two driver from the very beginning of the race, giving him no chance to compete fairly at all, which A Yong could not understand.

Driver number 6, Dixon, doesn't he want to win?
Faced with A Yong's question, Lei Ge was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

There are many such supporting players in F1 history, such as the well-known Barrichello, Massa, Bottas, and so on.

Do you think they would willingly be the second driver?

The answer may not be so.

At least Barrichello and Massa have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction, while Bottas seems to have resigned himself to his fate.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Lei replied meaningfully, "Maybe it's just like life. Not everyone has the courage to fight. Compromise is also a choice."

On the track, Chen Xiangbei faced Dixon's obstruction, and he didn't have time to speculate whether the other party wanted to fight or compromise.

Chen Xiangbei had only one thought in his mind: to surpass all his opponents until he stood on the highest podium!
With a full throttle, Chen Xiangbei used the wake effect from the Dixon to accelerate and turn, squeezing the front wing directly into the opponent's rear wheel position to prevent the car in front from changing lanes and blocking him again.

Dixon and the ART team misjudged one thing: Chen Xiangbei had no intention of attacking at Turn 1; he planned to take down his opponent on the long straight!
“OH MY GOD, right now, driver Bei feels like a ferocious beast baring its fangs.”

"Driver Dixon changed lanes to block the car behind him from entering the corner, but who would have thought that driver Bei would suck in the slipstream and immediately launch a spin attack without any warning or preparation."

"Now the driver's nose has passed Dixon's rear wheel, and the car is still climbing. Soon the two cars will be driving side by side."

"At the start, driver William of car number 17 was completely helpless against North's attack. So now, can Dixon stop North from overtaking?"

James is now extremely excited. The fact that such a swift and effortless overtaking maneuver between two Renault-level cars with similar powertrains usually indicates that the drivers' abilities have diverged significantly.

The problem is that both driver #17, William, and driver #6, Dixon, are top performers who have achieved top three finishes in national-level karting competitions and were able to start from the front row in qualifying, which to some extent proves their strength.

In the previous race, Chen Xiangbei reaped the benefits, maintaining a lead and cruising mode for most of the early and mid-stages. Apart from a confrontation with Vergne in the final stage, he did not demonstrate much overtaking or offensive and defensive play during the race.

Did Chen Xiangbei finally reveal his ruthless side at this stop?
James didn't know whether he should be glad or not that the FIA ​​penalized Chen Xiangbei with a five-place penalty. Otherwise, the Chinese kid who started from pole position would most likely have been cruising ahead by a wide margin, and this feast of fierce overtaking would have been missed!

At this moment, Dixon no longer needed to check Chen Xiangbei's position through the rearview mirror; he could see the number 13 on the front of the car even from the corner of his eye!

Want to overtake?

Dixon's heart was in turmoil for a moment. He just wanted to block the car, but Chen Xiangbei was preparing to overtake.

Are Chinese kids really this confident?

It wasn't just that Chen Xiangbei was confident; it was also because he had no other choice.

Imagine twenty race cars crammed into the same corner. If you get blocked by the car in front, it's not just a matter of being slow; on the contrary, you might lose several positions instantly!

Similar scenes are extremely common in F1 races. When the car in front slows down and blocks the lane, the cars following behind are doomed. In crowded curves, there is not even room to change lanes.

If you're even less lucky, there might even be a chain-reaction rear-end collision!

Not to mention that behind Chen Xiangbei, there was also driver number 17, William, who was eager to overtake and prove himself.

With danger looming ahead and threats from behind, Chen Xiangbei had no choice but to fight his way out. As car number 13 continued to climb, its front wing had already passed the front wheel of the Dixon car, and the two cars were almost side by side.

However, by this time, we had reached the latest braking point, and the current track temperature was far from reaching the optimal temperature for grip after just one lap of warm-up.

This means that if the brakes aren't applied soon, both race cars will go off the track!
This time, Chen Xiangbei did not hesitate; he slammed on the brakes as the speed spiraled out of control.

As the old saying goes, qualifying is about the fastest lap time, while the race is about who laughs last.

Almost simultaneously, Dixon also slammed on the brakes. He was indeed seen as a tool by the team, but not willingly, at least not to become worthless cannon fodder.

Even if following the team's orders to block Chen Xiangbei wouldn't yield any good results, he still wanted to showcase his offensive and defensive skills in front of tens of thousands of spectators and let the world see his shining moments!

The extremely high speed and the relatively cold tires meant that even with emergency braking, the two race cars that missed their braking point could not reach the cornering speed.

Dixon made a quick decision, slamming on the brakes to lock the tires and forcefully slow down, thus avoiding running into the gravel buffer zone.

Chen Xiangbei, who was driving alongside, had locked his tires during practice and knew very well how much wear and tear this track would cause, meaning that the tires' lifespan would drop rapidly to a maximum of three to five laps.

If he pits to change tires after three to five laps, based on the current lap times on the track, Chen Xiangbei will drop to the back of the pack after exiting the pits, completely losing any chance of winning!

Chen Xiangbei wouldn't accept this outcome, so besides braking, the only other force he could rely on was the transmission braking. Just like a manual transmission driver facing a long downhill slope, to prevent the brake discs from overheating and failing, an experienced driver would choose to force first gear to slow down.

Chen Xiangbei is doing something similar now. He frantically presses the paddle shifters to downshift, from the highest sixth gear when entering the corner to first gear in just a fraction of a second. The combined deceleration effect makes the entire race car feel like it's being dragged.

It's important to understand that this kind of forced downshifting at high speed puts a huge strain on the transmission. Even racing-grade sequential gearboxes might not be able to withstand it, and civilian transmissions could be completely destroyed on the spot.

Chen Xiangbei dared to take this gamble because it was a brand new car that had just been changed for qualifying. The gearbox hadn't experienced the violent driving of the entire race and should be relatively durable with "slight wear"... However, when the car's sensors transmitted the data to the Super Dream team's pit, Mizutani Sho exclaimed with wide eyes: "Xiangbei-kun, the car's speed dropped from 220km/h to 80km/h. How much impact must the gearbox have to withstand?"

"Even the seamless shifting gearboxes in Formula 1 that handle a thousand horsepower wouldn't dare to do that, so how could he dare with a sequential gearbox?"

No one knows how Chen Xiangbei dared to do it, but the broadcast footage clearly showed that, compared to the black smoke coming out of the Dixon tires when they locked up, the No. 13 car did not show any abnormalities.

He simply rode on the shoulder marked with guide lines and successfully overtook the car on the curve by taking a "big loop".

"Pretty!"

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the Super Dream team's pit lane.

After several races, it was clear that Chen Xiangbei's control over the limits of racing cars was becoming increasingly masterful.

If a driver misses the braking point, it is already very difficult to complete the corner smoothly. However, Chen Xiangbei was reluctant to wear down the tires and relied on downshifting to brake and slow down.

This kid really wants both fish and bear's paw; he wants it all!

However, a yellow flag appeared on the track shortly afterward. Chen Xiangbei and Dixon's "speeding" cornering inadvertently inspired a large number of drivers behind them to follow suit.

Not everyone can make the same decisive move as Dixon, slamming on the brakes to lock the tires and gain maximum grip.

No one else can perform gearbox braking maneuvers like Chen Xiangbei!
Several drivers lost control and went off the track, causing a chain-reaction collision at Turn 1. The race organizers immediately deployed a yellow flag.

"As expected, there is never a shortage of exciting scenes at Turn 1 of any track. The Chinese driver Bei had just demonstrated his ultimate control when he immediately suffered a track accident."

"According to the data reported from the console, driver Bei used both the brakes and the gearbox for braking, which is why he did not lock up the tires."

"Driver Bei has truly demonstrated driving skills beyond his class!"

Although a commentator is supposed to remain neutral, James couldn't quite contain his admiration.

He has watched many Renault and higher-level Formula races, and it is no exaggeration to say that there are very few drivers who can match Chen Xiangbei's driving skills. In James's opinion, this has reached the ceiling.

Even if you asked all the previous Formula Renault champions to review their performance, they couldn't do it as well as Chen Xiangbei.

With that kind of skill, he could definitely drive an F3 car. In fact, James had a feeling that the Chinese driver Bei would skip a level.

“James, I think you’re exaggerating a bit.”

Mike, a guest sitting next to him, shook his head to express his opposition.

"What driver Bei did just now was clearly just a remedial measure for missing the braking point."

"You can't forget his previous mistakes just because you've successfully rectified the situation."

"Moreover, driver North cannot be considered a success yet, as the FIA ​​has already issued an investigation statement."

Just as James was praising and exclaiming, the FIA ​​tournament officials issued several penalty notices in succession.

One of the cases involved Chen Xiangbei's overtaking maneuver on a curve. He took too much of the curb while exiting the curve, and all four wheels crossed the white line at the edge of the track. The overtaking maneuver was deemed an unjust gain and he had to switch positions; otherwise, he would face additional penalties.

Similar unfair advantages are common in Formula racing. For example, a "god-like lap" in qualifying can easily lead to four wheels going out of bounds in a corner and disqualification. Or, in extreme cornering situations, if understeer can't get through, they might simply go into the run-off area for a "straight-out" overtake.

In such cases, the FIA ​​will often determine that the driver has unfairly gained an advantage and will have to revert the improved ranking back.

It can only be said that the FIA ​​of this era is not bad, at least it clearly lets the drivers know where they "went wrong".

In subsequent rulings on unjust enrichment, the FIA ​​often does not directly address the issue, but merely provides a recorded suggestion, leaving the driver and team to determine for themselves whether there has been any unjust gain.

Once they figured out where the problem was, they swapped positions and avoided punishment.

If you can't guess it, then just penalize yourself with five seconds of time, highlighting a psychological game!
However, the FIA's ruling did not receive the approval of the audience as Mike had expected.

"SHIT, failing to brake and deliberately hitting the curb are two different things. Where did the driver gain any unfair advantage?"

"You can't assume that driver Bei unjustly benefited just because he successfully navigated the corner. What about the drivers who caused the chain-reaction accident later? Did they not want to navigate the corner?"

"They just couldn't stop. Chen Xiangbei had just demonstrated what extreme maneuvering looks like, and the drivers behind him immediately put on a clumsy imitation!"

"Without comparison, there's no appreciation; driver Bei is just too strong!"

Various voices of support rang out from all over the stands. Even though many people disliked Chen Xiangbei, it didn't mean they were willing to lie through their teeth.

On the other side, Odette also informed Chen Xiangbei of the FIA's punishment, but Chen Xiangbei did not show much emotional reaction to it.

The reason is simple: Chen Xiangbei knew that his four-wheeled vehicle had crossed the boundary.

Although this ruling is controversial, that's often how it is in sports; there are no completely rigid standards for defining the outcome.

From Dixon's perspective, he would think the ruling was fair.

With the safety car deployed, Chen Xiangbei lightly applied the brakes, allowing Dixon to overtake and switch positions.

The moment the two cars were side by side, Dixon turned his head and glanced at Chen Xiangbei. His expression behind the mask was actually quite complicated.

Contrary to Chen Xiangbei's assumption, he did not believe the verdict was fair.

Because no one knew better than Dixon what kind of driving skills Chen Xiangbei had demonstrated.

If both sides were moving any slower, one of them would still have their tires locked up, but Chen Xiangbei was able to overtake and corner perfectly. That's the essential difference.

Dixon knew very well that he had been overtaken, not because of Chen Xiangbei's "unjust enrichment," but because of his inability to control the limits of the car!
"Team, the brakes have locked up, causing severe tire wear. I request to pit for a tire change."

Dixon then used the pit stop app to request a pit stop from the team, as his tires could only last for another two or three laps.

During the yellow flag phase, you can save half the entry time, and if you're lucky, you can even catch up to the points zone.

"When you enter the pit, you'll lose position. After the race resumes, continue to block the car and create a slipstream distance for Vergne."

The team rejected Dix's pit stop request without hesitation.

"But if I do that, my tires will burst."

Dixon knew very well that he couldn't stop Chen Xiangbei at all, and another lock-up might even cause a tire blowout.

Even if he was just a tool, at least after Dixon had used up his value, he still had a chance to earn points.

Now, he will most likely have to withdraw from the competition!
"Dixon, carry out the team's orders."

ART, the team leader, intervened in TR; he didn't have time to explain to Dix.

The more impressive Chen Xiangbei's performance, the greater the threat he poses to Verne.

Compared to Dixon, the team's interests come first!
The run-off area at Turn 1 on the track is usually the largest, so the damage to the cars that crashed and rear-ended each other wasn't too severe.

After the safety car lapped the track three times, a green flag appeared beside the track, indicating that the incident had been dealt with and the race would resume on the next lap.

As Magnussen accelerated, the roar of his engine filled the sky, and every driver was frantically speeding up.

According to the ART team's plan, Dixon should have slowed down at this point and tried his best to block Chen Xiangbei's car, taking advantage of the crucial moment when the race resumed, and perhaps he could have given Vergne a one-second head start.

But Dixon didn't do that. He floored the accelerator and then frantically shifted up to catch up with Verne in front of him.

At this point, the driver was essentially back on the starting line. In addition, Vergne was completely unprepared for Dixon and was successfully outmaneuvered, getting stuck on the inside and taking the best cornering line!

At that moment, Vergne was stunned; in his eyes, Dixon had gone mad.

Instead of following the team's instructions to stop Chen Xiangbei, they launched an attack on their teammates.

With the bend right in front of him, Vergne didn't have time to press the call button to seek answers from the team. Since Dixon was going to cut in line to take the bend, he had no choice but to treat him as an enemy!

Two ART race cars engaged in a battle in the corner, a scene usually only seen in F1 paddocks, but which appeared on the Renault Formula 1 circuit.

Just as the two were locked in combat, another Renault race car caught up from behind. It had no intention of staying in the inside lane at all, and braked late on the outside to make a violent overtake, cutting through two cars in one go on the curve!

That's right, this race car is Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car.

The three laps led by the safety car brought the tire temperature and the grip of the driving line to near their peak levels.

Chen Xiangbei didn't know anything about the ART team; he only knew that this was a good opportunity to overtake.

This scene silenced the entire paddock except for the roar of engines.

Overtaking three cars in four laps, and on the supposedly difficult Donington Park circuit, Chen Xiangbei's move is absolutely insane.

Can Costa and Magnussen stop the Chinese driver Bei in this state?
(End of this chapter)