Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 163 Do you want to replicate the Mars rover?
When Chen Xiangbei returned to his hotel, it was already completely dark.

The members of the Super Dream team were still in high spirits. They were temporarily "free from all trouble" and were just waiting to celebrate Chen Xiangbei's victory in the evening.

Although in terms of sheer difficulty, the Australian Grand Prix is ​​higher than the European Formula 3 series.

However, in terms of external recognition and prestige, the Spa-Francorchamps race is far superior to the Australian Grand Prix.

The reason is that this year's Australian Grand Prix F3 only has local players besides Chen Xiangbei, and no big names from outside the region.

The prestige of a competition often depends not only on its own merits but also on the contrast provided by its opponents.

"How did your talks with Ross go?"

Upon seeing Chen Xiangbei return, Odeto asked him a question.

He was more focused on negotiations with the F1 team than on partying.

"Team principal Ross has offered $20 million, and he will do his best to persuade the board to offer a formal driver contract for next year."

"The price is very reasonable."

Odeto nodded after hearing this. Ross Brown hadn't "ripped off" Chen Xiangbei and had even given a fairly honest offer.

Other "three-no" drivers, without 30 million US dollars plus a major sponsorship and advertising contract, would not be able to secure a regular driver's seat in Brawn GP.

Because regardless of what Brawn GP was like in the past, at least now it is a genuine championship contender.

The title "Contending for the Championship" alone is worth at least 30 million US dollars.

It's worth noting that there's another driver in a similar situation to Chen Xiangbei: Maldonado from Venezuela, also known as the "King of Polo" in F1.

In 2011, in order to join the Renault team, Polo Wanderers personally sponsored the team with $1500 million, while PDVSA (Venezuela's national oil company) behind him paid £2960 million to the Williams team, becoming the team's main sponsor.

This huge sponsorship deal prompted Sir Williams to fire the team's rising star, Hulkenberg, and replace him with the football legend as a full-fledged driver.

It's worth noting that Hulkenberg's performance in his rookie season in 2010 was nothing short of top-notch.

In the Brazilian Grand Prix that year, driving a Williams car, they took pole position with an incredible one-second lead over second place. This marked the first time in five years that the Williams team had tasted the thrill of starting from the front row.

A driver's lap time determines their ceiling and potential, but this super rookie's performance is no match for the tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship from the King of Polo.

Sir Williams demonstrated his characteristic "cold-blooded ruthlessness" in business, showing no hesitation when it came to kicking someone when necessary!
"So how do you plan to raise this money?"

Odette pressed further, saying that twenty million US dollars wasn't much for an F1 team.

For an individual, it's an astronomical figure; he doesn't know how Chen Xiangbei managed to do it.

“I’ve been in contact with some potential sponsors in China before, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Chen Xiangbei answered with great confidence.

The reason is simple: people will do things that cost them their lives, but nobody will do a business that loses money.

To become an official F1 driver, and a capable one at that.

If they can achieve good results and receive support from the national propaganda machine, their potential commercial value is immeasurable.

The most prominent example is Liu Xiang's 110-meter hurdles. Although his breakthrough in track and field is a source of pride for people of Asian descent, to be honest, the influence of this event is really limited.

Normally, its commercial value isn't that exaggerated.

The reason why it has become a household name is due to its championship achievements and breakthroughs.

Chen Xiangbei has also achieved a breakthrough, he only needs a championship!
As long as we can win a championship, it will benefit both Chen Xiangbei and the sponsors.

Let alone 20 million US dollars, even 200 million US dollars could easily break even.

According to the British magazine Business F1, the Chinese company AIGO signed a three-year contract with McLaren from 07 to 09, totaling $1900 million.

Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's laptop division and the sponsorship agreement with Williams amounted to a staggering $3000 million.

Isn't the global advertising effect brought by Chen Xiangbei's status and popularity as China's first F1 driver worth $2000 million?
Of course, the prerequisite is winning the championship; without winning the championship, the effect will be greatly reduced.

"If you need any help, please let me know."

Odeto was not a pure managerial type; his way of thinking was actually more technical.

Odeto was unaware of Chen Xiangbei's past business collaborations, nor was he interested in them.

As a team leader, under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be much interaction between him and the drivers.

A stable team with a constant turnover of drivers is the normal operating model.

However, after spending time with Chen Xiangbei, Odeto's feelings for him had become more than just "colleagues".

He regarded this young Chinese man more as his own nephew or younger generation.

Given Odette's current age, Chen Xiangbei should be the last driver he coaches. In a sense, the young Chinese driver carries his dreams and motivation.

He was eager to see just how far this young man could go.

"Well, I will."

This time, Chen Xiangbei didn't stand on ceremony and readily agreed.

He also didn't treat Odette as an ordinary team leader; being overly polite to the "elder" who had helped him seemed like a distant gesture.

Having said all he wanted to say, Odeto patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder and left the room.

Once Chen Xiangbei has packed up and prepared, the crew will set off for a celebratory party.

However, plans often go awry. Just as Chen Xiangbei and his crew reached the hotel entrance, a van pulled up right in front of them, and several foreigners in sharp suits got out.

Chen Xiangbei recognized one of them; he was Adrian Campos, the manager of the Campos team.

How did he get here?

Chen Xiangbei was somewhat surprised and puzzled, but Campos led the group over and introduced them warmly: "Bei, I've brought an old friend to discuss cooperation with you. He is Mr. Carabant, the BOSS of the HRT team."

"The HRT team has passed the FIA's review and will officially enter the F1 paddock next season. They are currently looking for talented and promising drivers to join them."

"Bei, you are the rising star we have our eye on!"

[HRT fleet?]

Chen Xiangbei is no stranger to this team, after all, it has a close relationship with Chinese driver Ma Qingye.

Chen Xiangbei just didn't expect that the HRT team would contact him at this time.

"Hello, Mr. Carabant."

Chen Xiangbei was the first to extend his hand in greeting.

Hello, North.

Carabant smiled and shook hands.

Then he said, "Bei, why don't we go inside and talk?"

Upon hearing this, Odeto immediately whispered something to Hiroki Sawano, instructing him to lead the crew to celebrate and relax.

He then greeted him, saying, "Welcome, Mr. Carabant. Let's go to the hotel conference room."

"please."

After saying that, Odeto made a gesture of invitation and then walked ahead to lead the way.

Having spent so many years in the F1 paddock, Odette knows one thing well: don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Even though Chen Xiangbei has a close relationship with Ross Brawn, and even though the latter has the reputation of being a championship contender and has the future technical support of Mercedes.

Never turn down offers from other teams until a formal driver contract is signed.

In the F1 paddock, the phrase "riding a donkey while looking for a horse" isn't a derogatory term for drivers. On the contrary, there are countless examples of drivers who, by clinging to one approach and giving themselves no room for error, ultimately suffer losses.

Regardless of what the HRT team thinks, let's listen to their opinions first.

So Chen Xiangbei, Odeto, and the HRT team arrived at the hotel conference room, where they sat face to face, assuming a "negotiation" posture.

"Bei, your performance at Spa has been remarkable, and I personally witnessed the amazing statistics of the race in the pit lane."

"After the race, you publicly declared that you were ready to become an F1 driver and were just waiting for the team to offer you a formal contract."

"Now the moment has come. HRT is interested in signing you as a full-fledged driver for their team."

"We believe that choosing you will be the best decision the team has ever made!"

Manager Campos said these words with excitement. As a substitute driver for the Campos team, Chen Xiangbei had used their pit garage and was a direct participant in all the data and TR voice communication during the race.

Compared to other F1 team management, Campos was more aware of Chen Xiangbei's abilities.

Campos firmly believes that this Chinese newcomer is definitely a rising star in the future F1 paddock!

Having realized this, Campos immediately contacted his boss, Carabant, the owner of the HRT team. After a brief discussion, the two went directly to the hotel where Chen Xiangbei was staying. A gem is hard to completely bury, and Campos believed that given Chen Xiangbei's amazing performance at Spa, more than one F1 team would be interested in recruiting him.

Often, in addition to conditions, sincerity is also the foundation for achieving cooperation.

Campos and his boss, Carabant, made a joint visit, which undoubtedly demonstrated their sincerity and eagerness!

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei could feel the sincerity and enthusiasm in the other party's attitude.

However, the HRT team was not on his list of considerations, or rather, it was a last resort among his "backup plans".

In motorsports, if you want to achieve good results and compete for the championship, your car absolutely cannot be too weak.

If it's not to say it's the top "Mars car" in the paddock, it has to be at least the second or third fastest, otherwise even a driver as strong as Verstappen would have to perform like a god to compete with it.

The HRT team's cars can no longer be described as "Mars Group" or "Earth Group".

It's so slow it's practically at the "Ground Zero" level, not even meeting the most basic qualifying limit of 107%. From the very start of the race, you have to consider how many laps you'll get.

What later generations ridiculed, such as Sauber and Haas, would be considered Martian rovers compared to HRT.

Even if you brought Senna back to life and put him in driving this tractor, he probably wouldn't be able to see anyone else's taillights.

Sincerity can't put food on the table; Chen Xiangbei wanted to know something more practical.

"Manager Campos, I appreciate your trust. May I ask what the contract terms for the HRT team are?"

With a sponsorship of thirty million US dollars, we can immediately sign a formal driver contract with you for next year.

This time, it wasn't Campos who answered, but rather HRT team owner Carabant who directly told Chen Xiangbei the bottom price.

The reason why the HRT fleet is so poor is that it has been plagued by a lack of funds since its inception.

Without money, you can't compete in races, let alone develop good cars!

In order to raise money, the HRT team has gone to great lengths. While other teams at most sell a paid driver's seat, they have directly adopted a "mercenary" model.

Whoever can afford it can host a race.

In the 10 season, Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto bought three seats for five million US dollars per race just to have some fun.

This method of operation is exactly the same as Campos Racing Team selling substitute driving qualifications to Chen Xiangbei.

It just goes to show that people who aren't family don't belong together...

“Mr. Carabant, compared to your arrival, this sponsorship amount is far too insincere.”

Chen Xiangbei replied with a faint smile.

Although the Brawn GP team currently only has a letter of intent, it still needs to convince the board of directors before a formal contract can be signed.

However, the bid for a seat in a championship-contending team is only $20 million, even if it includes a "friendly price".

HRT's bottom-of-the-barrel fleet is worth at most ten million US dollars by market standards.

Carabant, however, demanded a staggering $30 million. Who gave him the courage? Fish Leong?
This is like slaughtering a pig for the New Year – you can't slaughter it this ruthlessly!
But as soon as Chen Xiangbei finished speaking, Karabant shook his head and said...

"No, we are very sincere."

“Thirty million US dollars will not only get you a seat, but also a 20% stake in the HRT team.”

"Bei, you should know what this means."

Chen Xiangbei was stunned upon hearing this answer.

He truly hadn't expected that Carabant would sell his shares in the team so directly!
It's important to understand that the status between drivers and teams is not equal, with teams holding a dominant position most of the time.

Unless you can achieve the results and status of Schumacher, Hamilton, or Verstappen, to the point that the team can't do without you.

Otherwise, just like a company and its employees, the driver doesn't have much bargaining power.

But with a stake in the team, many things become completely different.

A famous example from later generations is Stroll, who was known as "Young Master".

His father bought the Aston Martin racing team so that his son could drive an F1 car.

So no matter how badly Stroll drives, since the team is their own, they can do whatever they want, and their seat is practically guaranteed.

With 20% of the shares, Chen Xiangbei will become one of the top shareholders of the team, rising from a driver to an owner.

This offer was completely unexpected for Chen Xiangbei, and he was unable to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision for the time being.

Just then, Odeto, who was listening in, spoke up: "Mr. Carabant, what is the waiting period for this contract? This matter is too sudden, and the team needs time to consider and discuss it."

"Three months is plenty of time for you to consider."

Carabant gave them plenty of time; to some extent, he didn't care too much about who the driver was, but rather about the funds the driver could bring.

Chinese capital has made significant investments in the F1 paddock in the past two years, and he hopes that Chen Xiangbei can act as a bridge between the two.

"OK, we'll consider it."

Chen Xiangbei nodded. He understood the meaning behind Odette's words: there was time to wait for Brawn GP's response, and HRT was only an alternative.

That was all there was to say. There wasn't much more to discuss between them. After exchanging a few polite words, the HRT team got up and left.

Chen Xiangbei, upholding the "hospitality of a host," escorted him to the hotel entrance. HRT boss Carabant got into the van first, but Campos took the opportunity of shaking hands to say goodbye.

"In the North, it's rumored within the paddock that your friendship with Ross Brawn stemmed from your recommendation of Staller to participate in the acquisition of the Honda F1 team."

What are your thoughts on the Toyota F1 team?

What are your thoughts on the Toyota F1 team?

Chen Xiangbei was taken aback, wondering what Campos meant by asking that question.

"I don't have much to say about it."

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Xiangbei replied frankly.

He's been focusing all his energy on the races lately and hasn't really been paying much attention to the Toyota F1 team.

All we know is that, following the historical trajectory, it was impacted by the financial crisis and failed to achieve its intended results.

Toyota will follow in Honda's footsteps and announce its withdrawal from the F1 paddock at the end of 09.

When he returns, he will be reborn in 26 years with the Haas team.

"Our internal assessment shows that the TF110 prototype that Toyota is building for next year's competition is a race car that is no less than the Honda RA109."

“North, the 20 million US dollars is not only your investment, but also an investment in TF110.”

After saying this, Campos had a mysterious smile on his face.

Before Chen Xiangbei could ask any further questions, he turned around, got into his van, and drove away.

[TF110?]

Chen Xiangbei muttered the car model code to himself, then searched his memory for related information.

It can only be said that Honda and Toyota truly deserve to be called Japan's "love-hate" twin stars.

Their fates and trajectories in F1 were remarkably similar; they all fell just before dawn.

However, at least the Honda team had someone take over, and the RA109 race car they produced ultimately shone brightly, proving its kingly status.

No one could afford to acquire the Toyota team, and on the eve of their retirement, they also built the next generation of race cars, codenamed TF110!

Compared to the RA109, which eventually made it to the racetrack, the TF110 did not have the opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities, and only underwent a farewell road test at the base in Cologne, Germany.

No one knows the ultimate limit of this race car.

However, many things are traceable. The TF109 race car that Toyota built in the 09 season actually reached the speed of the third fastest car in the paddock.

It is second only to Brawn GP's BGP001 and Red Bull Racing's RB5.

Furthermore, according to publicly available information from later generations, Toyota's last race car, the TF110, was very competitive. It was equipped with the largest double diffuser in the entire paddock, and the tallest nose cone in the entire paddock helped increase bottom airflow efficiency.

Furthermore, the nose design and side box style are extremely similar to the Red Bull RB6.

It's important to know that the RB6 was the championship car in the 10 season and marked the beginning of the Red Bull dynasty!
If the Toyota team hadn't gone bankrupt, this car would very likely have followed the fate of the Honda RA109 and become a championship contender in the paddock.

Even if they don't reach the level of contending for the championship, their speed will at least be among the top three in the paddock!
HRT had intended to take over Toyota's legacy, but unfortunately, due to insufficient financial resources, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the price.

Campos's words clearly implied that Chen Xiangbei's 20 million might be a huge gamble.

If the bet is successful, a miracle will unfold for the Brawn GP team, and the next Mars rover will be born!

(End of this chapter)