Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 149 The Terrifying Power of China's Rising Stars (10K)

"MY GOD, is this the speed of a Chinese rookie?"

Upon seeing the data before them, the McLaren team engineer exclaimed in surprise.

Others might not know the speed of the McLaren Silver Arrow, but how could they, as engineers, not know?

The overall performance of this championship car was basically between the first and second fastest car in the paddock last year, with only Ferrari's F2008 able to compete with it. Honda's "tractor" RA108 didn't even have the right to compete.

Furthermore, although Parfitt has never made it into F1 in history, he is definitely not a rookie!
In his early years, he swept through the karting world and even won the most prestigious British F3 championship in the lower-level formula category.

After switching from racing to touring cars due to lack of funds, he went on to win the most prestigious German DTM championship of the era.

With his amazing talent and adaptability, Parfit was favored by McLaren and has been working part-time as a test driver in recent years.

Chronologically speaking, it was indeed Parfitt's first time test-driving a McLaren MP4-23 race car, but it wasn't his first time driving an F1 car.

In terms of experience and testing mileage, Chen Xiangbei is far superior to him, and therefore cannot be considered a true rookie.

According to McLaren engineers' evaluation criteria, if Parfit's lap time in the McLaren championship car is not one second faster than that of a complete novice, it means that he has already lost to the opponent.

Not to mention they're still 0.3 seconds behind!
Chen Xiangbei, this rising Chinese star, has shown an incredible ability to adapt to F1 racing.

"Impossible, the RA108 can't reach that speed."

Parfit immediately shook his head in denial, saying that while the upper limit of a driver's talent is difficult to measure, the upper limit of a car's performance has solid data.

The RA108, a car that ranks last in the paddock, can never achieve a lap time of 1 minute 27.552 seconds unless driven by super rookies like Raikkonen, Hamilton, and Vettel.

I doubt even the rising star from China, Bei, would dare to compare himself to Raikkonen and Hamilton.
Upon hearing Parfitt's words, the McLaren race engineer felt there was some truth to them.

So he turned to the data analyst beside him and said, "Miller, check if the track sensors are working properly."

The lap time doesn't conform to real-world logic, which most likely indicates a malfunction in the testing equipment.

After completing one lap on the track, Chen Xiangbei immediately began his second lap.

The thrill of F1 racing had put him in a state of "frenzied excitement," and Chen Xiangbei was eager to challenge his limits!

You should know that Chen Xiangbei always had a doubt in his heart, which was whether his achievements and running speed so far were due to talent or experience from his previous life.
For lower-level Formula racing, experience and hard work often play a decisive role.

After all, most people don't put in enough effort to even get a chance to compete on talent!

But in the "gods' realm" of F1, experience and hard work can only guarantee the lower limit; talent determines a driver's upper limit.

Sometimes you have to admit that when facing a true genius, no matter how hard you try, it's all in vain.

Chen Xiangbei knew that his driving sense and talent in this life would surpass that of his somewhat "mediocre" self in his previous life.

This can be judged from the perception of the race car. Even the slightest tire slippage and body sway can be clearly detected by Chen Xiangbei, a feeling that less talented drivers do not have.

But Chen Xiangbei had no answer in his heart as to how high his talent was or whether it could surpass the "experience" of his previous life.

The RA108 that Chen Xiangbei is driving today is like a touchstone for him.

He plans to use the test drive opportunity to test the limits of his talent!
The RA108's engine roared into the sky, and Chen Xiangbei's speed also increased visibly.

After crossing the starting line, the final speed on the long straight reached 320 km/h, as displayed on the steering wheel LCD screen!

It's worth noting that the F3 cars Chen Xiangbei had previously worked with only had a top speed of 280 km/h, and in actual races, it was very difficult to reach that speed.

Without a doubt, Chen Xiangbei was wielding a speed he had never experienced before.

"Sawano-senpai, Mukai-kun's speed is dangerous."

Mizutani Sho couldn't help but offer a reminder, as he had already sensed Chen Xiangbei's intention to challenge his limits.

For a test rookie who has just come into contact with F1 racing, this idea is too radical and crazy.

Hearing Mizutani Sho's reminder, Sawano Hiroki subconsciously glanced at Odeto.

The team leader crossed his arms and stared blankly at the broadcast screen, making no move to press the call button.

Since Odeto had not expressed his opinion, Hiroki Sawano could not issue orders beyond his authority and could only suppress his inner tension and worry.

Odeto's lack of action wasn't due to his calm demeanor; on the contrary, he also disagreed with Chen Xiangbei's decision to challenge him so quickly.

Having spent so many years in the F1 paddock, Odeto had extensive experience with rookie test drives. He knew that Chen Xiangbei was currently in a state of high concentration, and any noise could cause serious disruption, or even lead to unpredictable consequences.

It's like an ordinary person concentrating on doing something, when suddenly someone makes a sound next to them.

At best, it will break your focus; at worst, it might give you a shock!
Odeto knew that Chen Xiangbei was in a stable mood and wouldn't panic.

But he dared not gamble...

No matter how perfect Chen Xiangbei's performance was before, or how high his talent was, it was still just driving an F3.

Within the realm of Formula One, only GP2 can be considered a qualifying race for F1; the gap in F3 is truly significant.

Even among the most talented drivers in history who skipped grades, none of them pushed to their limits on the second lap.

Having come this far, Odeto could only say that he hadn't misjudged Chen Xiangbei.

His "conservatism" is just a facade; deep down, he's filled with madness!

As Chen Xiangbei sped forward, the actual driving experience was not as easy as he had expected.

If we consider the maximum score for F1 handling as 100 points, it's easy to improve from 60 to 80 points, but improving from 80 to 90 or 95 points will be a qualitative change in difficulty.

Chen Xiangbei's current situation is the same as the latter's scenario of improving to ninety points.

He overestimated his talent and ability, and underestimated the difficulty of fully mastering an F1 car.

As the speed increases to the limit of grip, Chen Xiangbei needs to walk on the edge of losing control, which means he must control the vehicle with extreme precision and not allow any room for error.

However, Chen Xiangbei only had the experience of driving F2 race cars, and he didn't have time to fully understand the characteristics of the RA108, nor could his physical fitness withstand the G-force pressure from high-speed corners.

It's important to know that the RA108 is not an easy car to drive. Even F1 legends like Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello only managed to finish third from the bottom in the 08 season when driving it.

In some ways, the RA108's third-to-last finish is actually thanks to the resigned Force India and the Super Aguri brothers. If their drivers had put in a little more effort, or if they had invested more in R&D, they might have been able to dethrone Honda!

To use a popular phrase from later generations, RA108's third-to-last ranking wasn't because it was particularly strong, but simply because its competitors were worse.

Even though it was difficult to drive, Chen Xiangbei did not slow down.

Formula 1 racing is like a wild horse; only by constantly testing its limits can it be truly tamed.

Chen Xiangbei tried his best to compete with the race car, and as he sped past the starting line once again, he immediately pressed the call button on the steering wheel.

"Odetto, how long did I take for this lap?"

"1 minutes, 23 seconds, 891."

"so slow?"

Upon hearing the lap time, Chen Xiangbei subconsciously replied.

He knew that the pole position record at the Catalan circuit was 1 minute 15.022 seconds, set by racing legend Michael Schumacher.

The track conditions for that last lap were basically the same as in qualifying, yet I was a full eight seconds slower than Schumacher!
In the world of Formula One, when true masters clash, victory or defeat is often decided in a fraction of a second.

Eight seconds is the distance between heaven and earth.

"Is this too slow?"

Even Odeto, who is usually "reserved" and doesn't like to praise others.

After hearing Chen Xiangbei's muttered remark, everyone couldn't help but retort in the team's voice chat.

Is this kid in Versailles?

Did you only consider how much slower you were, without thinking about how much faster your lap time was?

Chen Xiangbei's speed on the second lap was almost four seconds faster than his speed on the first lap!

"The gap between my pole position lap time and Schumacher's is too big; I feel like I can't catch up no matter what."

Chen Xiangbei casually replied that, theoretically, the RA108 tractor might be a second slower than a "Mars rover" if driven by the same driver.

Taking into account the one to two-second delay in tuning, the one-second difference in driver skill, and the one-second difference in proficiency, Chen Xiangbei's ideal lap time is around 1 minute and 21 seconds.

The current time is 1 minute and 23 seconds, which is more than two seconds slower than expected, and he is not very satisfied with this result.

"FUCK, you rookie think you can race Schumacher in lap times?"

"Also, did you know that in 04, Ferrari built a historically fast car, and it used a 3.5L V10 engine!"

Odeto couldn't hold back any longer; he even suspected that Chen Xiangbei was just pretending to be stupid.

While the evolution of Formula 1 racing has generally progressed faster and faster, at certain crucial junctures it has not necessarily followed the logic of technological advancement and societal development.

Just like in the V12 era, F1 cars could unleash an astonishing 1350 horsepower.

哪怕04年的3.5L V10引擎，最大马力依旧摸到了1000匹的边缘，远超这个时代的2.4L V8引擎。

The only technological direction for small-displacement engines to catch up with and surpass large-displacement multi-cylinder engines is to use turbocharging or a hybrid system with an electric motor to assist in output. This is also the fundamental reason why modern F1 engines are faster.

The advantage of the F1 V8 era was not in how much horsepower it had, but rather in how light the car was.

"understood……"

Sensing Odeto's "anger," Chen Xiangbei wisely refrained from saying anything more.

"Tire wear is about to exceed its peak, Xiangbei, are you planning to take it to the pit for adjustments?"

Hiroki Sawano glanced at the surveillance data, interrupted Chen Xiangbei and Odette's banter, and asked for the driver's opinion.

The wear and tear on tires in Formula 1 cars is far greater than that in Formula Renault or Formula 3.

One reason is the difference between speed and vehicle weight. The faster the speed, the greater the weight, and naturally the tires will wear out more for the same mileage.

On the other hand, the aerodynamic kits of F1 cars provide a terrifying downforce of 2.6.

To put it simply, when the Honda RA108 weighs 600 kg, it will generate an astonishing 1560 kg of downforce at a speed of 300 km/h, which is almost three times its weight.

In fact, when it comes to straight-line acceleration alone, F1 cars are not the fastest cars on Earth. However, thanks to their incredible downforce, F1 cars have a commanding lead in cornering grip.

Speed ​​is real when it's on a curve; anyone can step on the gas on a straightaway.
The high downforce pressed the race car firmly to the ground, indirectly increasing tire wear.

Under normal circumstances, when pushing at full speed, the peak grip of a new soft tire on an F1 car may only last for one or two laps.

To achieve even more extreme lap times, you have to pit for a tire change.

"After completing this cooling lap, I'll push for one more lap before pitting."

Chen Xiangbei ignored Hiroki Sawano's advice and decided to push the cart one more lap while he was in good form.

Compared to lower-level formulas, F1 cars are unable to maintain continuous high speeds in most situations.

Because full PSUH puts a lot of pressure on operating temperature, fluids, brakes, tire temperature, etc., will all reach the high temperature critical point.

Take brakes as a simple example. If the temperature gets too high, it will cause brake fade, and the braking effect will be greatly reduced. In this situation, it is impossible to reach the maximum speed, and you can only drive slowly for a lap to allow the brakes to cool down.

This ring is known as the "cooling ring".

Furthermore, after F1 racing entered the hybrid era, the principle is the same as that of hybrid systems in family cars. In order to achieve maximum performance acceleration, the battery charge must be kept above 80%.

What if I don't have it?
Of course, it involves running another lap to recharge the battery via the engine; this lap is often referred to as the "charging lap".

Current F1 racing car kinetic energy recovery systems store kinetic energy through flywheels, not batteries, and therefore do not require so-called "charging coils".

However, under high-temperature track conditions, a "cooling ring" is still essential.

"receive."

Hiroki Sawano did not stop him. Given the extent of Chen Xiangbei's tire wear, pushing him another lap would only affect his speed, posing little threat to his safety.

The engineers in the several test pit booths along the maintenance lane all had their eyes fixed on the monitor screens. They were eager to see just how far Chen Xiangbei, this rising Chinese star, could push his lap times on his first day.

F1 has produced many talented drivers over the years, but there has never been a talent from China!

As he navigated one corner after another, Chen Xiangbei forgot all about lap times. He entered a state of complete absorption, his mind focused solely on the track line and controlling the car.

In Initial D, Takumi Fujiwara's progress lies in his discovery that the images he sees while driving are getting slower and slower.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei felt as if time itself had stopped.

“Odette, I feel like I’m seeing the next Hamilton.”

Looking at the lap times displayed on the screen, Field muttered to himself.

Of all the rookies in F1 testing in recent years, only Hamilton has given him a similar shock!
Even Kimi Räikkönen, the genius who made a "triple jump," couldn't match Chen Xiangbei's speed during the test drive.

Of course, in terms of results, Kimi Räikkönen's leapfrogging is even more exaggerated. He had never even touched an F3 car before, and went straight to driving an F1 car.

It's so outrageous that it's like letting an ordinary person who just got their driver's license go racing on a racetrack!

For a rookie to get into an F1 car without any accidents in the first few laps is already a sign of overflowing talent; it's impossible to expect him to set amazing lap times on the spot.

"Hamilton has run GP2, but he has only run one F3 race."

Odeto replied with a complicated expression.

Hamilton, who was at the same time, tested faster than Chen Xiangbei, but the two sides had different foundations.

Chen Xiangbei's performance, when placed among the test rookies, already qualifies him as a super rookie!

"It can't be the next Senna, can it?"

Test engineer Field uttered these words that even he himself couldn't believe.

There is one person in history whose test drive results can only be described as "terrifying"—that is the famous racing legend Ayrton Senna!

In 1983, Senna, driving a McLaren, achieved the fastest speed in forty timed laps at Donington Park, the circuit where he had previously run the "Loop of God." This not only crushed the rookies of the same year but also surpassed that year's world champion, Kirk Rosberg.

By the way, this Kirk Rosberg is the father of Nick Rosberg, the F1 champion driver who was later nicknamed "Fifteen-Time Champion".

"It's not that exaggerated, it just means he adapted quite well."

Odeto shook his head, appearing calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

Chen Xiangbei may not be comparable to Senna, but that doesn't mean he's bad.

On the contrary, his speed on that lap was only a little over two seconds slower than that of Jason Button, a Honda official driver who drove the same car last year!
Jenson Button's fame is not particularly high among all the F1 world champion drivers, and he is far from being comparable to his contemporaries such as Alonso, Raikkonen, and Hamilton.

The main thing is that he doesn't have any fancy tricks; his driving style is the kind that's surprisingly steady and skillful.

However, winning the WDC title means that, at least at a certain stage, he was a top-level driver standing at the pinnacle!

Moreover, Button has an impressive resume in lower-level formula racing. He is the youngest champion in the European Formula Championship, the youngest points earner in F1 history, and has also won the FIA ​​Rookie of the Year award.

Odette is well aware of Button's strength; he is a championship contender in the current paddock.

Chen Xiangbei was able to keep up with him by less than three seconds on the first day of testing, which is equivalent to having one foot in the F1 hall of fame. Now all we need to do is see how fast this kid can go after the car is adjusted based on the driver's style and feedback!
"Dong, you might be getting a fellow countryman who is an F1 driver."

Looking at Chen Xiangbei's lap time of 1 minute 23.231 seconds, the Renault engineer said something meaningful.

After pushing the tires three times, Chen Xiangbei was still able to achieve a lap time close to one second, which is truly an amazing improvement.

Based on Renault's many years of experience, as long as this lap time is not just a flash in the pan, after multiple practice sessions and car tuning, Chen Xiangbei is fully capable of achieving speeds close to or even surpassing those of the two Honda F1 drivers.

Unbelievable!

Upon hearing the team engineer's words, Ho-Pin Tung was so shocked that he didn't know how to respond for a moment. He had been following Chen Xiangbei even before the Grand Prix, after all, there were very few Chinese drivers who could race in European Formula racing, and even fewer who could achieve good results.

Ho-Pin Tung is very clear that Chen Xiangbei is absolutely the future hope of Chinese motorsports!
He just hadn't expected Chen Xiangbei to come to the Catalan circuit for a test drive so soon, and he couldn't have imagined that Chen would directly demonstrate the strength of a near-F1 driver.

Not to mention catching up with Honda's two official drivers, Chen Xiangbei's current lap time is already one second ahead of Parfit and a full four seconds ahead of himself!

How exactly did China's motorsport environment produce a "monster" driver like Chen Xiangbei?
No one knew the reason. Even the members of the Super Dream team couldn't understand why Chen Xiangbei had experienced some discomfort while driving the F3 race car at the Grand Prix.

Skipping directly to F1 was surprisingly easy; he dared to push at full speed right away.

"Sawano, I'll be stopping at the station this lap."

After crossing the starting line, Chen Xiangbei communicated his request to enter the pit lane to the team via voice.

"receive."

Hiroki Sawano responded with a sentence, and at the same time, the entire team of technicians, a large group of about twenty people, all carrying various kinds of equipment, rushed from the P room to the maintenance area, intending to conduct an F1-level pit stop drill.

For the team's technicians, live-vehicle practice is also an extremely rare opportunity, as they can only practice statically with models in most cases.

The race car drove in from one end of the pit lane, and Chen Xiangbei, following the standard procedures of F1 racing, pressed the speed limit button on the steering wheel to keep the RA108 at an average speed of 80km/h.

Speeding in the pit lane is an extremely common phenomenon in F1, especially before the introduction of one-button speed limits, many drivers have been penalized by the FIA ​​for this.

Soon Chen Xiangbei saw the Super Dream technician team in front of the P room. Each technician stood in their respective positions according to their duties, and Chen Xiangbei had to park very precisely in the repair bay.

Any position that is too far forward or too far back will require the entire technician team to reposition, which would be fatal for the time-sensitive entry into the station.

In addition, Chen Xiangbei had to brake from 80km/h to 0km/h instantly without hitting the jack technician.

There have been many instances in F1 history where drivers have crashed into mechanics, requiring mutual trust and excellent teamwork between the driver and the mechanic team!
Chen Xiangbei is very familiar with the pit stop tire changing process because he experienced F2 racing in his previous life, and he has even demonstrated it in the Australian Grand Prix.

With a precise stop at the maintenance bay, Chen Xiangbei felt his race car being lifted into the air. The tire gun motor made a series of "buzzing" sounds as the technicians changed the tires according to the standard procedure they had practiced.

Odette stood to the side, watching the entire team of technicians work, his face showing no emotion.

As the race car landed, the green starting indicator light above lit up, signifying the end of the pit stop and tire change process. Chen Xiangbei could then drive the RA108 out of the pits and onto the track.

However, Chen Xiangbei did not drive it out. He still needed to conduct feedback adjustments on the race car. This was just a practical exercise.

At this moment, Odd's expression finally changed, and his face turned extremely ugly!
The electronic timer showed that the total time for changing the tire at the station was as high as 7.3 seconds, with errors occurring in almost every step, which he found unacceptable.

He could understand the slow pace and mistakes made by the Chinese members of the technician team, but even the original team from Super Aguri showed the inexperience of rookies, completely unlike a top F1 team.

"Ha, the inexperienced drivers exceeded expectations, while the F1-trained mechanics performed poorly. It's quite interesting."

When McLaren's race engineer Bruce saw this, a mocking smile appeared on his face.

He and Odeto are old acquaintances. The McLaren dynasty was at its peak in the 1980s when it was replaced by Ferrari in the 1990s, so it can be said that they had a deep-seated grudge.

Odeto has always been known for his radical and strict approach, yet he can't even manage a "third-rate" crew. It's a real waste of talent for the Chinese rookie to fall into his hands.

The technology used in F1 at that time was probably quite behind that of later generations.

However, there is no fundamental difference in the speed of tire changing.

In 2009, McLaren set a tire change record of 1.88 seconds at the Italian Grand Prix.

This speed wasn't broken until 2019, ten years later, by Red Bull Racing's 1.82 seconds, and the latest record was broken in 2023 by McLaren Racing with 1.80 seconds!
A tire change in 7.3 seconds is incredibly slow, no wonder Odeto's face turned dark instantly.

"After today's tests, all the technicians will stay behind to practice changing tires 50 times."

Without any leniency, Odeto immediately issued the order.

Any improvement of even 0.1 seconds in tire changing speed is achieved through the perfect teamwork and countless hours of practice by the technicians.

The top three racing teams require their mechanics to practice changing tires thousands of times a year in order to achieve the astonishing speed of under two seconds.

Team Mewtwo is currently far, far behind!

No one on the mechanics team objected to Odette's instructions; they knew there were no shortcuts in tire-changing practice.

To be honest, the Super Aguri team only participated in three races last year before retiring from F1, which means that the entire mechanic team had not been involved in pit stops for tire changes for more than a year. It is not surprising that they are in such a rusty state.

Furthermore, Super Aguri is already a bottom-tier team, so it's unrealistic to expect their mechanics to be on par with top teams. Whether Super Dream can achieve a "rebirth" depends on Odette's leadership.

While the race car was being adjusted and receiving feedback, Chen Xiangbei got out of the cockpit, walked up to Odette, and asked him, "Odette, how did I do?"

"very good."

Without any hesitation or euphemism, Odeto gave his assessment without reservation.

"You weren't being sarcastic, were you?"

Odeto's unusual praise made Chen Xiangbei somewhat suspicious.

"No, you ran really well."

Now that they've entered the realm of Formula 1, Odette has no more worries, and he no longer needs to worry about Chen Xiangbei becoming "arrogant and complacent."

Good is good; F1 drivers deserve the spotlight and praise.

"Then let's tune it according to the fastest setup for the Catalan circuit, and I'll bring out the best!"

Upon receiving Odeto's praise, Chen Xiangbei instantly felt a surge of confidence.

He knew the Italian old man's personality very well; there was absolutely no way he could run so badly that he needed comforting and encouragement.

To receive this evaluation, one's performance must have exceeded his expectations.

Since that's the case, Chen Xiangbei wants to go even faster!
"OK, then let me see your strength."

This time, Odeto didn't try to dissuade him. The Chinese kid himself wasn't conservative anymore, so what was there for him to worry about?

Just run!

With the lap record standing out, Odette isn't worried that Chen Xiangbei will lack opportunities to test drive the car.

After crashing into PA108, there were still nine other teams' old cars outside. Strength and speed are the best assets to establish oneself in F1!
However, Chen Xiangbei's subsequent full-speed advance brought the team members a surprise, but not the shock of what was previously considered a miracle.

After adjustments, the car's lap time improved by another 1.5 seconds, just over a second away from Jenson Button's fastest lap time in qualifying at the Catalan circuit last year.

But it was precisely that one second or so that became an insurmountable barrier in front of Chen Xiangbei, which he could not overcome even after running more than a dozen laps.

To achieve the ultimate lap time in F1 racing, a complete "man-machine integration" is required, with no weaknesses whatsoever. Currently, Chen Xiangbei has ample experience with racing simulators, but he has various shortcomings, both large and small, in terms of track performance, actual car driving, and even physical fitness.

Only by overcoming these challenges can he challenge Barrichello's or Jason Barton's status!

Other teams can see Chen Xiangbei's test data, but they don't know his thoughts and goals.

Otherwise, you'd probably be shocked.

This kid did 30 or 40 laps in one day of test driving, covering a total distance of just over 200 kilometers, and he's already thinking about competing for Barrichello and Jason Button's seats. He's probably still dreaming.

Let's not even talk about Jenson Button; he only won the F1 World Championship in 09. No one in this era can predict the future.

Barrichello is a household name; he is arguably the best second-best driver in history, bar none.

The only regret of his career is that his teammate during his prime was named Michael Schumacher.

Whoever touches him dies!

Although Barrichello is 37 years old this year and has passed his peak during his time at Ferrari, he is not someone that a rookie can challenge.

Doesn't Chen Xiangbei have any self-awareness?

History has proven that, in many cases, drivers who want to reach the top do indeed need to be a little bit clueless.

Without the arrogance of thinking you're the best in the world, you'll never become the best in the world!

The track testing and training continued day by day. Whether it was the time spent pitting for tire changes or Chen Xiangbei's lap time, the improvements were made slowly in units of percent or even thousandths of a second.

The higher you go in motorsports, the harder it is for a transformative miracle to occur.

The only way to improve is through exceptional teamwork and the muscle memory developed through countless practice sessions.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiangbei's track testing mileage did not go as he had imagined, where he could continue privately testing without restraint simply because he had money, and he could not reach his goal of hundreds or thousands of practice sessions.

There are many factors that contribute to this situation, the first being that humans are not machines.

Sixty laps on the track is roughly three hundred kilometers, which is the standard number of laps in an F1 race.

Don't even mention that Chen Xiangbei's physical condition is very weak now. Even if an F1 official driver runs a race, he has to lose several kilograms of water and take a week to recover. How can he run 300 kilometers every day?
The second point is that even the machine can't withstand it!

An F1 car's 2.4L naturally aspirated engine is squeezed out to produce more than 700 horsepower, which shows how much pressure is put on the cylinder block material.

Under full power operation, the theoretical lifespan of an F1 racing engine is only one race!
Yes, you read that right, it was a match.

To ensure their lifespan, F1 teams typically only run at full or above-power for a few minutes during crucial qualifying sessions, and in most cases, they drive at a slower pace.

In order to control costs and ensure safety, the FIA ​​has stipulated that only eight brand-new engines are allowed to be started throughout the year, and only one engine is allowed to be started in each race; otherwise, the driver will be penalized by having to replace the engine.

Later generations lowered this standard to only four power units per year, prompting engine suppliers to pay more attention to durability and reliability, so that a "bomb" wouldn't blow up on the track all the time.

The regulations proved to be effective; at least the nickname "King of Engine Breakage," which was common in that era, has largely disappeared in later generations, at most being referred to as a tractor.

Currently, the Brawn GP team's warehouse at the Catalan circuit only has two spare power units for the RA108, and there is nowhere to replace them if they break down, as Honda's F1 engine factory has long been closed.

As the saying goes, good fortune never comes in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly.

While Chen Xiangbei was stuck in a bottleneck period, the Brawn GP team was in a period of decline.

Having dominated the first seven races, winning six of them, the BGP001 race car demonstrated absolute dominance.

Just when everyone thought that the driver's and team's double championship in 09 was a foregone conclusion, other teams learned about cutting-edge technologies such as double diffusers and gradually applied them in the races.

Conversely, Brawn GP is now a private team and can no longer leverage the combined resources of three teams and the wind tunnel as it did last year. Its R&D capabilities have fallen behind and it is struggling to keep up with the upgrade speed of other teams.

In order to save costs, the original 700-person R&D team that merged with the Super Aguri team was reduced to 430 people.

Various changes caused BGP001, this "Martian rover," to decline to the point where it couldn't even get onto the podium mid-season, and the entire team's atmosphere and goals also changed.

By August 17th, Chen Xiangbei had accumulated 2000 kilometers of testing mileage at the Catalan circuit, equivalent to the standard of running six F1 races.

The Brawn GP team has already submitted a super license application to the FIA ​​on his behalf, but there is no absolute certainty that it will be granted.

Chen Xiangbei's academic performance and household registration status remain his current weaknesses.

The lifespan of the two backup power units has been nearly exhausted during the intermittent testing over the past two months.

In fact, Chen Xiangbei had already used it very sparingly, and the Chao Meng team hadn't even switched to full power. It's just that the reliability and durability of engines from this era were significantly inferior to those of later generations, making them prone to inexplicable malfunctions.

That day, after having breakfast at the hotel, Chen Xiangbei was preparing to head to the Catalan circuit for training when Staller appeared at the restaurant, looking travel-worn.

“Odeto, North, I have something to discuss with you.”

Without the usual pleasantries, Stahler got straight to the point and stated his requirements.

"OK, let's go to the hotel's conference room."

Odette knew that Staller's sudden arrival at the Catalan circuit must be to discuss matters concerning Chen Xiangbei and the team, so without hesitation he led him to the hotel conference room for the talk.

After the three were seated, Staller asked, "You guys must be following the F1 Grand Prix, right?"

"of course."

Chen Xiangbei nodded. As a Formula One driver, no matter how tired and busy he is, he can't ignore the F1 race.

"You are probably just as well aware of the changes in the performance of the Brawn GP team."

"Ah."

"Ross and the board are preparing to sell the team to Daimler (Mercedes' parent company)."

Stahler explained that he had come because the Brawn GP team was about to change ownership and would be renamed the Mercedes-Benz team.

Upon hearing Stahler's words, Chen Xiangbei remained calm. The wheels of history rolled forward relentlessly, and his own presence had not yet reached the point where he could influence the course of history.

The Mercedes-Benz team, which would later become famous, was finally about to be born.

On the contrary, Odette's expression turned very serious upon hearing the news.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei, a rising Chinese talent, owes his excellent testing conditions to the help of Stahler, a shareholder, and Ross Brawn, the team manager.

Once the Brawn GP team is upgraded to the Mercedes factory team, it will involve a massive conglomerate worth hundreds of billions, making individual efforts seem insignificant.

Without the help of Ross Brown and Stoller, even if Chen Xiangbei is capable, there is still a great possibility that he will not be able to compete with his rivals.

Just like when the Super Aguri team disbanded last year, its driver Takuma Sato set the fastest lap time in the winter test car, but still couldn't beat a Swedish newcomer, Buemi.

In many ways, Formula 1 is ultimately a sport dominated by white people.

Is this matter confirmed?

Odeto countered with a question.

"The board members and minority shareholders are basically in agreement, but Ross is still hesitant."

"However, given the team's current decline in performance, an acquisition is inevitable."

Staller's face showed regret; this was the tragedy of a small private racing team.

Even if they have a temporary lead thanks to cutting-edge technology, if their subsequent research and development capabilities can't keep up, they will still be caught up by the big teams that upgrade. Only by "selling themselves" to a powerhouse like Mercedes can they obtain enough funds to continue operating in the F1 paddock.

Stahler currently only owns a little over ten percent of the team's shares, and no matter how unwilling he is, there is no force that can stop him if Ross Brawn agrees to sell.

"Bei, it seems your exhibition plan needs to be put on the agenda."

"At least while the Brawn GP team is still in my and Rose's hands, we'll provide you with the resources to become the center of attention!"

The demonstration plan that Staller mentioned is the "substitute player solution" that Odette proposed a few months ago.

Seeking opportunities to participate in F3 support races, achieve remarkable results, and thus generate sufficient exposure and recognition!

The real challenge was finding an F3 team willing to offer Chen Xiangbei a temporary replacement racing opportunity. At the same time, there was no guarantee that Chen Xiangbei would make a name for himself in F3 racing.

If the results are not achieved, there will be a series of side effects from the operation.

But there's no time to wait. Once Daimler completes its acquisition of Brawn GP, ​​the difficulty for Chen Xiangbei to obtain F1 team resources will increase exponentially.

"By the way, how are the results of the North's test at the Catalan circuit?"

After explaining the presentation plan, Stahler immediately added another sentence.

Chen Xiangbei's F1 test results will, to some extent, foreshadow his F3 performance.

After all, he can even drive an F1 car, so he should be able to make a splash.

"1 minutes, 21 seconds, 435."

Odette casually gave a lap time.

【What? 】

Upon hearing this number, Stahler's eyes widened and he gasped.

Chen Xiangbei's lap time was only 0.2 seconds slower than Button's qualifying time at last year's Spanish Grand Prix, and 0.4 seconds slower than Barrichello's.

More importantly, Chen Xiangbei's lap time in last year's qualifying would have been equivalent to directly qualifying for Q2!

Is this the real talent of this Chinese kid?
(End of this chapter)