Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 161 This is the strongest F3 driver!

“COPY.”

Chen Xiangbei gave a brief reply and then seized the opportunity to drive straight into the maintenance lane.

In fact, it wasn't just him who pitted; the tire compounds of the twenty drivers on the track, due to the mandatory pit stop requirement, were basically all soft or supersoft tires for the start, and they had already passed their peak grip.

Ricciardo's run off the track will shorten the pit stop window.

If you don't seize the opportunity to pit now and wait for the yellow flag to be lifted, the entire tire change will take at least ten seconds longer!
Watching the F3 cars pit one by one for tire changes, James said with a sigh, "North's feint just now was really unexpected. The extremely late braking fooled Ricciardo and found the apex point for the special corner."

"Honestly, seeing the obvious drift in the broadcast, I don't know if it was Bei's luck or his skill!"

Not only was Ricardo confused about how all this happened, but even the commentators, who had an "observer" perspective, couldn't understand it.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiangbei couldn't hear the explanation's doubts. If he could, he would have told the other party without hesitation.

That cornering maneuver just now had absolutely no element of luck; it was pure skill and execution!

Throughout the first half of the race, Chen Xiangbei had already made several probing attacks at Turn 8, in order to lull and provoke Ricardo, making his defensive resolve increasingly firm.

Chen Xiangbei was very clear about one thing: while he was studying the information on his rivals such as Ricardo, his rivals would definitely be studying his driving style and technical characteristics.

Radical, arrogant, domineering, adventurous...

These adjectives are the labels that Chen Xiangbei presents.

When a Chinese kid chooses to overtake on a curve, he's bound to show his domineering attitude: whoever lets go of the accelerator is a dog, and whoever hits the brakes is a grandson.

In racing, momentum often plays a crucial role. If Ricciardo doesn't want to be a loser, he needs to show his fighting spirit and face the challenge head-on.

Losing is not terrible.

Fear is the root of a lifetime of losses.

Ricardo understands this principle as well.

Ricardo never expected that Chen Xiangbei would accurately predict his thoughts.

What Chen Xiangbei wanted was for Ricardo to be "not afraid"!
After a prolonged period of probing attacks, Ricciardo was wearing down his tires trying to maintain his line, while Chen Xiangbei's car had a significant advantage in grip.

This means that at the same braking point, Chen Xiangbei can stop at the limit, while Ricardo cannot.

The result was obvious: Ricciardo eventually went off the track.

In competitive sports, external labels are all meaningless; they are merely "props" used to help Chen Xiangbei win.

Ricardo did try to understand his opponent, but he didn't understand enough.

At least he didn't really see clearly what kind of driver Chen Xiangbei was.

As for the final drift maneuver, it was also part of Chen Xiangbei's plan.

He doesn't have Verstappen's ultimate driving feel, the ability to capture every change in tire grip and the sway of the car's rear end.

However, Chen Xiangbei has his own advantage, which is that he has actually served as a professional rally driver and has experience in the drift trajectory of cars that Formula One drivers cannot match!

Only by taking a two-pronged approach can this seemingly impossible overtaking be achieved.

"James, I thought the speed characteristics of Spa would make it the coronation track for Ricciardo's F3 championship."

"I didn't expect him to encounter an even stronger driver like Bei. Maybe the Chinese kid is the strongest F3 driver!"

Guest Klass was completely convinced this time. Turn 8 is the most difficult corner and overtaking point on the Spa circuit, but Chen Xiangbei cleanly and beautifully dribbled past Ricciardo, who was even somewhat helpless.

In particular, the control that driver North demonstrated over the car is something that Klass is reluctant to admit. He has surpassed the upper limit of F3 drivers and has reached the level of GP2, or even F1 drivers.

No wonder the Chinese newcomer is thinking of creating a miracle and jumping to F1; he certainly has the ability!
"If Ricciardo couldn't stop Chen Xiangbei, who can stop him at Spa-Francorchamps?"

"Bianchi is actually quite good, but unfortunately he encountered a much stronger driver, North."

"At the current rate of tire replacement, Bianchi might not even be qualified to stop Chen Xiangbei."

"Bei, you will become the true king of F3!"

Watching the mechanics change the tires, Chen Xiangbei's supporters in the Spa-Francorchamps grandstand were extremely excited.

Bottas was eliminated early on, and his strongest competitor, Ricardo, has already withdrawn from the race.

The only real threat now is Bianchi. If Chen Xiangbei can change tires one second faster than Bianchi, he can get out of the station ahead of Bianchi.

The Dream Team is slow, but that's in comparison to F1 teams.

Bianchi doesn't have a complete team of Ferrari technicians, and relying solely on the strength of an F3 team, it's impossible for them to be faster than the Super Dream team.

Once he surpasses Bianchi, no one on the entire Spa circuit can challenge Chen Xiangbei!
At the repair bay in front of the pit lane, the Super Dream technician team, led by Liang Chi, raced against time to change the tires on Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car. Everyone looked extremely focused and serious.

They were well aware that Chen Xiangbei had performed perfectly in this competition.

Whether the game can be ended early now depends on their performance.

The spinning sound of the tire-changing gun echoed in my ears, accompanied by the rapid ticking of the stopwatch.

When Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car was lowered from the jack and the exit indicator light turned green, the tire change timer also stopped at that moment.

2.9 seconds!
This is the fastest and shortest time the Mewtwo team has ever spent practicing changing tires.

The team members were on edge at this performance. They didn't celebrate at all, but instead kept their eyes glued to Bianchi's P-room.

Whether the ART team can successfully complete the tire change and overtake depends on the speed of their tire change.

Chen Xiangbei's race car was already roaring towards the exit of the pit lane. Just as he passed the Bianchi team's pit garage, the opposing team's No. 17 race car had already left the pits. He quickly turned the steering wheel and stepped on the gas, rushing towards the pit lane.

While changing the tire, Bianchi kept his eyes glued to the rearview mirror, observing the repair lane.

He was also well aware that the speed of the tire change would determine his and Chen Xiangbei's order of priority.

As the mechanics worked, Bianchi watched in disbelief as race car number 13 appeared in the rearview mirror and gradually filled the entire mirror as it got closer.

So much so that the moment the jack was lowered from the race car, he didn't even wait for the starting indicator light to change before rushing towards the pit lane, hoping to block Chen Xiangbei's car.

Even so, Bianchi still couldn't surpass Chen Xiangbei.

The two race cars appeared side by side in the pit lane, and upon closer inspection, it could be seen that Chen Xiangbei's car was slightly ahead.

“ART team made an unsafe release. Bianchi’s No. 17 car drove out of the pit lane before the green light signal and almost collided with the No. 13 car coming from behind.”

After James finished explaining that sentence, everyone thought it was just a mistake or an accident.

But the sight of the two cars driving side by side next made him sense something unusual.

"What's going on? Bianchi didn't slow down to let him pass. He's driving right up to the speed limit in the pit lane with driver North. Does he intend to speed and overtake?"

“If Bianchi does this, the punishment will not be just a simple unsafe release, but will also include penalties for dangerous driving. Even if we are ahead of North, it will be a losing proposition.”

James understands that young drivers are competitive, but they can't let themselves get carried away and lose their minds during races.

Given the severity of the penalties for dangerous driving, Bianchi might not only fail to hold onto his third or second place, but could also be penalized to a position outside the top ten.

He was too slow to exit the pits to overtake the rider North, so why bother with this pointless struggle?
Seeing Bianchi's unwilling and defiant state in the pit lane, many European spectators and supporters at the track had very mixed feelings at that moment.

"FUCK! If it weren't for the F1 crew, Bei wouldn't have been able to pit and overtake Bianchi at all!"

"This was an unfair duel; Bianchi didn't lose!"

"Go for it, Bianchi!"

People are always prone to admiring the strong and sympathizing with the weak.

From the perspective of European audiences and supporters, he was indeed quite frustrated at that moment.

Despite not being overtaken on the track, they lost because of their team; their pit stop time for tire changes was simply not as fast as Chen Xiangbei's former F1 team.

But the world is often fair; Chen Xiangbei has things that An Qi has but Chen Xiangbei doesn't.

For example, he might have had the help of a top Ferrari team to tune the car, or the best racing foundation in Europe, or even his family background in racing.

The entanglement between Ricardo and Chen Xiangbei had, to some extent, bought him enough time.

Think back to the first round of the main race, Chen Xiangbei, as pole sitter, was in the lead, leaving Ricciardo and Bottas, who were locked in a fierce battle, more than three seconds behind.

Bianchi couldn't even pull away for a second, so his loss was well-deserved!
The two race cars drove side by side to the exit of the pit lane. Just as they were about to enter the main track to accelerate, Bianchi received instructions from the team engineer through his headset.

"Bianchi, calm down, stop this dangerous driving!"

If you're going to get hit, stand up straight; if you lose, accept your fate.

If a team passes through the maintenance lane at low speed, they still have room to plead with the race stewards, as the unsafe release will result in a 5-second penalty.

Once they get to the main track for high-speed competition, the "crime" of dangerous driving will be confirmed.

A time penalty or a retirement penalty are considered lenient treatment. However, if a collision causes a track accident, Bianchi could be suspended!

Upon hearing the race engineer's words through his headset, Bianchi reluctantly slammed on the brakes and moved behind Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car.

This scene broke the heart of Charles Leclerc, who was watching from the track.

He regarded Bianchi as his mentor and goal, but he never expected to witness the process of being defeated by Chinese drivers.

Leclerc felt the same way. Just last week in the European KF5 karting race, he also lost to a Dutch karting driver of the same age named Verstappen.

Leclerc felt that guy would be his lifelong enemy!
Who will be the lifelong rival of Chinese driver Bei?

Compared to Bianchi's unwillingness and Leclerc's sadness, the Chinese audience in the stands erupted in thunderous applause at this moment.

"Great, this is what it feels like to win at the starting line."

“In the past, it was always Chinese drivers who were at a disadvantage, but now it’s finally Chen Xiangbei’s turn to have a top-notch team.”

"At this point in the competition, there should be no suspense left."

"Let's not open the champagne halfway through the race; there's still one driver ahead of us."

That's right, there was another driver ahead of Chen Xiangbei, Thomas, who finished fifth in the first round of the main race.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei didn't know much about this driver; his limited energy was focused entirely on Ricciardo and a few other major rivals. But it didn't matter; the champion was destined to surpass all opponents, no matter who they were!
With a tap of the accelerator, and with the speed limit no longer in the maintenance lane, Chen Xiangbei accelerated wildly on the main track to catch up.

Thomas's skill level isn't bad; otherwise, if he had followed Chen Xiangbei's racing line, he would have already crashed off the track like those rookie drivers.

However, his skills weren't great either. Despite taking the lead by starting in reverse order, he was caught up by Bianchi and within 0.5 seconds. Luckily, the crew's tire change was fast, otherwise Chen Xiangbei would already be able to see his tail.

Even so, for Chen Xiangbei, catching up with a 0.5-second difference is only a matter of time.

Chen Xiangbei didn't exert himself fully when leaving the pit with the new tires; he treated this lap as a warm-up.

When the race reached the tenth lap, Chen Xiangbei began to unleash his full potential!

"After overtaking Bianchi in car number 13, Chinese driver Bei was quiet for a lap, but now he is frantically chasing the first-place driver Thomas."

"According to data from the track monitoring instruments, driver Bei's average speed has broken the race record. Keep in mind that this is not even the final stage with light fuel load, and Bei has already shown an unstoppable attitude."

"Can Thomas stop driver North on the next lap?"

Commentator Claes listened to James's question but did not answer.

The answer is obvious: Chen Xiangbei will break the race record this lap and catch up to Thomas's car.

With the same tires on their second lap after exiting the pits, Chen Xiangbei's lap time was almost a second faster than Thomas's, making them no match for each other on an F3 standard car.

Even if Chen Xiangbei were driving the "specially tuned car" of the Super Dream, it would be impossible for him to be one second faster per lap.

Chen Xiangbei will take down Thomas in one lap at most!

Just as many people had imagined, on lap 11, Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 car appeared behind Thomas' No. 9 car and had successfully sucked in the slipstream.

"The lap time has been set. Driver North set a lap time of 2 minutes 06.011 seconds, which is a new F3 race record at Spa-Francorchamps."

"If driver Bei can win the second round, he will set an unprecedented record. A hat trick is not enough to describe it. Bei is the king of Spa in the F3 class!"

James's tone was very excited. In fact, the average speed of the car had already foreshadowed that Chen Xiangbei would be very fast on this lap, and it was very likely that he would break the race record.

But James didn't expect it to come so quickly and so easily.

Pole position, fastest lap, race winner, reverse champion, track record...

No driver has ever achieved all five of these accomplishments at the same time, but Chen Xiangbei did.

James was at a loss for words; he might never encounter another Chinese driver like this in his commentary career.

"With four laps left to refuel, Bei set a new track record?"

"Terrifying! A driver like Bei without any opponents to restrain him is truly terrifying!"

"It feels like this speed isn't even the limit for driver North yet. I'm afraid we should start praying for Thomas in advance."

"We may witness the birth of a miracle."

The audience had stopped arguing; most of them had been won over by Chen Xiangbei's strength.

When he was fighting Ricardo earlier, it wasn't clear how fast Chen Xiangbei was.

Now that there are no rivals to distract him, it feels like the Chinese kid can easily break the Spa circuit's lap record every time he goes on.

Competitive sports only respect the strong.

When you're so strong that even your opponents can't find an excuse, all that's left is praise.

Thomas was the most "weak and helpless" person on the track at that moment. He looked at the number 13 car getting closer and closer in the rearview mirror and didn't even have the courage to fight back.

The team had just reported via TR on the last lap that they were still at least 0.5 seconds behind Chinese driver Bei.

Maintain your speed; just get through the last few laps.

After one lap, driver Bei appeared behind his car like a "ghost".

To be honest, Thomas had never felt this kind of speed and the pressure of being chased before.

Even players as strong as Ricardo and Bottas can only make Thomas feel strong, but not afraid.

"Thomas, hang in there, three more laps to go."

The encouraging voice of the team's engineer came through the headset.

The long hours spent together had created a tacit understanding between the competition engineer and Thomas, who sensed Thomas's tension and anxiety.

As a driver, you should not be afraid of your opponents.

Even against a strong opponent like Senna or Schumacher, you still have to fight with all your might to defend and attack!
Chen Xiangbei is indeed fast, but he is not invincible!
Encouraged by the team engineer, Thomas instinctively wanted to press the call button on the steering wheel and reply with a "Received".

But in that moment of distraction, he caught a glimpse of the car from the corner of his eye, and it was as if a bolt of lightning had passed by.

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

When a driver feels fear, he is destined not to be an opponent.

Chen Xiangbei overtook him with incredible ease. Thomas didn't even have time to make a basic defensive move before he could only watch helplessly as car number 13 drove away.

At this point in the race, there was practically no suspense left, and thunderous applause and cheers erupted on the track.

Many spectators even stood up, ready to cheer for Chen Xiangbei's championship victory in advance.

When the fifteen laps of the race ended and that familiar black and white checkered flag was waved, Chen Xiangbei officially completed his reign.

"Champion, Chen Xiangbei!"

"This is definitely the strongest driver in F3. Chen Xiangbei deserves to be promoted to F1."

"Driver Bei created a miracle; he proved himself."

"China No.1".

Not only Chinese people, but also many foreigners joined in the cheering, and they were even more enthusiastic than the Chinese audience!
This is the charm of competitive sports; Chen Xiangbei has earned respect and recognition.

Just like Yao Ming and Liu Xiang in this era, when they broke the monopoly of black or white people, the cold stares and ridicule of the past will shut up.

Because any questioning at this point will only lead to self-humiliation!
Soon, the various shouts on the track turned into a unified chorus of words.

"Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~!"

No one could have imagined that during the F1 race weekend, the entire stadium would be chanting the name of an F3 support driver.

"Williams, are you really not tempted by North?"

Looking at the scene of revelry in the stands, Prost couldn't help but ask again.

This time, Sir Williams did not answer; his expression was very complicated.

Deep down, I had a vague feeling that I had missed the best opportunity.

"Won!"

Inside the Super Dream team's pit garage, things exploded like firecrackers.

The victory seemed easy, but only they knew how much sweat and effort Chen Xiangbei had put in behind the scenes.

"Xiang Beijun, he has vindicated himself!"

Hiroki Sawano murmured, "This is the goal Chen Xiangbei set before the competition, and he achieved it."

"He headed north, finally taking the most crucial step toward his dream."

Lu Xiaoman replied with a smile, but a layer of mist appeared in her eyes.

The other team members had only seen Chen Xiangbei's professional training, while only Lu Xiaoman had seen his physical training.

Rapid muscle growth in a short period of time, without the use of drugs, is essentially achieved by tearing, repairing, and healing muscle fibers to create a more robust muscle group. This can be described as a form of "self-torture" to achieve rapid improvement.

During this period, Chen Xiangbei endured extraordinary hardships. Many times, Lu Xiaoman felt that a nineteen-year-old boy simply could not endure such inhuman training.

As it turned out, she was wrong. Chen Xiangbei not only persevered, but he also never complained once!

"Brother Bei, is he going to become an F1 driver?"

In a confused tone, A-Yong asked a question in the direction of Odto.

Although Ah Yong was a very close associate of Chen Xiangbei, he only had a superficial understanding of Chen Xiangbei's career plans and business operations.

It wasn't that Chen Xiangbei was deliberately hiding it from him, but rather that there was no point in telling him.

However, Ah Yong knew that Odette had emphasized many times that this race would be the key for Chen Xiangbei to enter F1!
"He must become an F1 driver!"

This time, Odeto gave a very firm answer.

Chen Xiangbei did what he was supposed to do, so he deserves the reward he is due.

Regardless of whether the F1 team is willing to make the decision, Odette will join forces with Stahler and use all his connections and resources to help Chen Xiangbei open the door to F1.

Now that strength is no longer an issue, the next issue is money.

Chen Xiangbei was unaware of the scene inside the P room. He had already opened his helmet visor and was looking at the sea of ​​red before him, enjoying the cheers of the crowd.

The celebration area on the podium was already packed with fans and reporters, who were waiting for Chen Xiangbei's arrival so they could celebrate and interview him up close.

Hank had already secured the frontmost position, and he had also come up with the headline for the press release.

Chinese driver Bei wins F3 championship; he's poised to become the next F1 driver!

This press release is no longer sensationalist; Hank firmly believes that Chen Xiangbei's performance on the track will earn him a permanent driver's seat from an F1 team.

Kimi Räikkönen once made it into the F1 paddock after 23 junior Formula races.

Chen Xiangbei will now open the door to F1 with just four junior formula races.

Just as Bei said, he is not the second Kimi, but a miracle that surpasses Kimi, and he has achieved the first Chen Xiangbei!

(End of this chapter)