Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 174 Future Chinese Heroes

"Chen Xiangbei defeated Schumacher!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly believe it's true! Chen Xiangbei, a rising F1 driver from China, has defeated the reigning champion and legendary Michael Schumacher!"

"Without a doubt, this is a miracle!"

Commentator Li Bing practically screamed these words, abandoning the composure and calmness expected of a sports commentator.

To be honest, this result overturned his understanding of Formula racing commentary over the past decade. Even though Schumacher lost the "red vs. blue battle" with Alonso, the outside world believed that it was more likely due to the car's performance.

It's worth noting that even in the final race of 06, which was a foregone conclusion, Schumacher still delivered twelve spectacular overtaking maneuvers throughout the race.

With this kind of performance and strength, who would think he's a god descending from the mountain?
Based on the impressions before his retirement, no one thought Schumacher would lose this match against Chen Xiangbei.

Even if neither of them were driving Formula One cars, and even if they were on a track that Chen Xiangbei was more familiar with, there was still no possibility of changing the outcome.

When the final results were announced and Chen Xiangbei emerged victorious, everyone present felt as if they were in a dream.

"Holy crap, they actually won that?!"

"No wonder Chen Xiangbei was able to skip grades and enter F1; it seems that it wasn't due to the paid factor reported by the media."

"There are plenty of paid drivers, but Chen Xiangbei is the only one; he has the absolute ability to do so!"

“Nothing in this world is predetermined; Chen Xiangbei is that variable.”

"Maybe in the future we can add the title 'God of Racing' before Chen Xiangbei's name!"

Countless spectators cheered and applauded for a long time.

Schumacher pushed open his helmet visor, looked back at the lap times on the big screen, and beneath his expressionless face lay a heart filled with shock.

Only he himself knew that he hadn't underestimated Chen Xiangbei in this match; Chen Xiangbei had at least performed at 90% of his strength!

After all, Chen Xiangbei had already defeated the newly crowned world champion Barton and the Australian V8 world champion before this.

But they still lost...

Recalling his conversation with his old partner Ross Brawn when he made his comeback, he expressed regret over not being able to sign Chinese driver Bei.

At that time, Schumacher didn't quite understand Ross Brawn's meaning. Even if the Chinese newcomers showed some strength and potential, it shouldn't be enough to make a team like Mercedes feel regretful.

Today, Schumacher vaguely understood that Chen Xiangbei was indeed a genius driver, and by the strictest European standards.

Even if this kid never makes it to Formula One racing, he'll probably still dominate the touring car market!

Of course, Schumacher was shocked, but he quickly calmed himself down.

After all, he has been in the industry for so many years and has seen all kinds of ups and downs. From his debut against racing legend Ayrton Senna to defeating Finnish racing king Mika Häkkinen, teammate Damon Hill, and others, he has defeated one peak after another.

Chen Xiangbei isn't even a mound of earth right now, not to the point that Schumacher considers him a formidable opponent.

Just as the two drivers were returning to the track, a giant screen hanging above the track displayed the total times for the Chinese and German teams, respectively.

Even though Chen Xiangbei defeated Schumacher, Han Han still lost by a whopping three seconds in that match, resulting in an overall defeat for the Chinese team.

The applause echoing in the Bird's Nest did not stop after the final results were announced.

The audience knew that, given the strength of the two Chinese drivers, they had truly given their all to achieve this against the defending champions, Germany.

Even though Han Han lost, he still had a clear conscience.

The team, which was predicted to be eliminated in the first round before the tournament, was expected to win only one game, but it defeated the British and Australian teams in succession before falling to the strongest team, Germany.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Chen Xiangbei's meteoric rise, China's motorsports performance would be worse than that of the national football team, which is ridiculed by everyone.

With such a poor foundation, they achieved a result comparable to the semi-finals of the "World Cup". Isn't that enough?
"The result of the match is out. Let's congratulate the German team on winning the match and once again becoming the first team to advance to the finals of the ROC Nations Cup."

The narrator, Li Bing, spoke these words with a bitter tone.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare. As a commentator, one must have a professional spirit; even if the team loses, one should still congratulate the winning team.

"Let's give another round of applause to the two Chinese drivers for their outstanding performance. They showed us the indomitable fighting spirit and tenacity of Chinese drivers, and they give us a glimpse of a promising future!"

When Li Bing said these words, her eyes were already wet with tears.

Losing the game is not terrible. Before the game, no one thought that Chen Xiangbei and Han Han could defeat the German team and make it to the finals to win the championship.

What's often frightening is seeing the end from the beginning and never seeing any hope!
Putting aside Han Han's performance today, Chen Xiangbei's ability to defeat Schumacher means that he has reached the standard of a world-class driver and will most likely be able to establish himself in the F1 paddock.

Paying drivers have the money to enter the F1 paddock, which is no more difficult than it would be in the era of the financial crisis.

To give a simple example, even if you have the talent of Leclerc or Piastrelli in this era, you may not be able to defeat players with "money power" like Latifi or Mazeping.

Teams often rely on sponsorship funds from paying drivers to save them from financial ruin.

But crises always pass, and if a team wants to attract more sponsors, it can't keep paying drivers at the bottom for too long.

Once the sponsorship money is secured and the difficulties are overcome, if the paying drivers still cannot demonstrate the ability to establish themselves, then they are not far from being kicked out of the paddock.

China only has this one representative, and Li Bing would prefer to see him compete in the F1 paddock!

Chen Xiangbei drove the race car back to the pit stop, where his crew members congratulated and encouraged him, showing no sign of defeat.

"Xiang Bei, you're really amazing, you were able to beat Schumacher."

"We've done enough to reach the semi-finals."

"The Chinese driver drove beautifully!"

"We've proven we're not the weakest team!"

Among the encouraging crowd, only Han Han's face was filled with guilt.

He walked up to Chen Xiangbei and said softly, "I'm sorry, Xiangbei, I lost because of me."

"Wrong. On the contrary, without your two wins, we wouldn't have made it to the semifinals at all."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile, then extended his arm and bumped shoulders with Han Han.

He knew better than anyone that Han Han had already pushed himself to the limit.

Some things cannot be overcome by passion alone, especially when considering the ROC National Cup.

Who would dare to imagine that a domestic champion could challenge and defeat a world champion?
If there's anything to regret, it's that Chen Xiangbei didn't make it into the top three that Peng Sheng hinted at.

However, the leaders of state-owned enterprises lacked sufficient understanding of motorsports and underestimated the skill gap between Chinese and foreign drivers.

Moreover, in a team competition like this, Chen Xiangbei couldn't change everything on his own. Of course, Chen Xiangbei wouldn't show these things to Han Han, nor would he offer any sentimental comfort.

After exchanging a few words, the two sat in the pit stop to watch the rest of the game.

The second semi-final match is between the French team and the Nordic team, as well as Loeb, a nine-time rally champion, and Christensen, a nine-time Le Mans champion!

This semi-final was extremely exciting, especially Loeb's god-like handling skills on roads with insufficient grip, which even Chen Xiangbei was amazed by.

No wonder this rally king has won three Drivers' Cup championships. It feels like no motorsport event other than the top Formula One can stop him from conquering the world!
The ROC National Cup tournament did not change due to Chen Xiangbei's appearance; the finals remained as historically consistent, with Germany facing off against France.

Ultimately, the Schumacher-Vettel duo won the final, achieving a three-peat in the ROC Nations Cup!
As the race ended, Chen Xiangbei watched from afar as Schumacher and Vettel stood on the podium, basking in the thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd. It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious.

No Chinese driver doesn't want to stand atop the Bird's Nest National Stadium and receive congratulations from 80,000 compatriots.

That's just how competitive sports are; if you lose, you lose.

"Head north, I believe that one day you can be like them."

Standing beside him, Han Han saw through Chen Xiangbei's envy and said something very firmly.

Formula racing drivers have long careers, and Chen Xiangbei's life has just begun. One day he will stand at the pinnacle of the world!

"I will."

This time, Chen Xiangbei didn't feign modesty; instead, he gave an affirmative answer.

This is not just a matter of confidence, but also a commitment.

At the next home race in China, Chen Xiangbei will let his compatriots witness their country's driver stand on the highest podium!

……

Chen Xiangbei did not attend the post-match media interviews. Instead, he received a call from Peng Sheng and went to the VIP box, where he met several of the legendary sponsors of the national team.

Chen Xiangbei thought he hadn't achieved the agreed-upon result, but he overlooked the fact that the ROC format is different from the Formula format, meaning there are no third or fourth place matches.

This means that as long as you make it to the semifinals, you'll be tied for third place!

Of course, there are still evaluation criteria between the third and fourth place winners.

That is the difference in total time between drivers; conventionally, the one with the shorter time is third.

However, for national team sponsors, winning third place is merely a means of verification, not the final result of the evaluation.

On the contrary, Chen Xiangbei's performance is where the value of the sponsorship lies!
Without a doubt, the moment Chen Xiangbei defeated Schumacher, he gained the approval of the national team leaders.

Without any negotiation process, the two domestic giants directly presented their prepared sponsorship proposals, totaling 100 million RMB, which is approximately 14 million USD.

Ten million US dollars was used to purchase side-mounted advertising space on the HRT fleet for one year, and the remaining four million US dollars were used to purchase the most prominent advertising logo on the front of Chen Xiangbei's hat.

Whether there will be further cooperation and whether a long-term contract will be signed depends on the final advertising revenue.

Chen Xiangbei agreed with this, but in reality, he didn't have much room for negotiation.

It's important to understand that compared to private sponsorships where sponsorships are responsible for their own profits and losses, national team sponsorships carry a much greater responsibility and involve more complicated procedures.

The prospects of the HRT team and the performance of the TF110 race car are all based on Chen Xiangbei's God-like perspective, knowing their potential and future.

From an outsider's perspective, the HRT team is a "new" team with an F3 foundation, having inherited some F1 legacy, and has no historical achievements to prove its commercial value.

In comparison, for the same side box position, Lenovo Tinkpad provides sponsorship to the Williams team for ten million US dollars per year.

Although Williams declined after the turn of the millennium, the reputation and foundation of the old "Big Three" teams still allow them to maintain their position in the mid-table.

HRT is no match for Williams, yet they receive the same amount of sponsorship.

Clearly, there are already factors of support involved here.

After signing the letter of intent, Chen Xiangbei did not linger in Yanjing. He rushed to the airport almost immediately to catch his flight back to London, England.

While sitting in the airport waiting hall, Chen Xiangbei saw the ROC National Cup post-match news being broadcast on TV, with many spectators interviewing him and calling him a hero.

At that moment, Chen Xiangbei suddenly understood why Nakajima Satoru was called a "Japanese hero".

The reason is that, like him, I have achieved some breakthroughs in the history of the country.

Before Chen Xiangbei, no one dared to imagine a Chinese driver defeating Schumacher.

However, Chen Xiangbei felt that he had not done enough.

After a flight of more than ten hours, Chen Xiangbei finally arrived at London International Airport, where Lu Xiaoman had already been informed and was there to pick him up.

Seeing Chen Xiangbei emerge from the crowd wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, Lu Xiaoman couldn't help but tease, "Have you become a big star in China that you're resorting to disguises?"

"They are indeed somewhat famous."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile, then took off his sunglasses, revealing heavy dark circles under his eyes.

The short training and competition schedule, along with the time difference between the two locations, definitely took a huge toll on physical strength.

The reason he wore sunglasses and a baseball cap was mainly so he could take a nap on the plane.

"By the way, how's the TF110 project progressing?"

Chen Xiangbei couldn't wait to ask a question. In the days since he returned to China, apart from the ROC National Cup, he had been concerned about the development progress of the TF110.

After all, all performance predictions are based on computer simulation data.

Leaving aside the question of speed, we must at least ensure successful ignition and the compatibility between the various subsystems.

It's worth noting that even at its peak, McLaren had instances of clownish behavior, such as failing to fit its in-house chassis with an engine supplied by Mercedes.

While the Toyota team may not go to such extremes, ignition is one of the key competitive factors in race car development.

"It has been successfully ignited, and the Toyota RVX-09 engine in the TF110 has been tested. Guess how it is?"

Lu Xiaoman did not answer directly; instead, her tone was playful and teasing.

"Sister Man, just tell me directly."

Chen Xiangbei was interested in guessing other things, but he was really impatient to know about the car's performance.

"Very strong. According to manager Briatore, it has already surpassed Renault's engine performance figures for this year!"

(End of this chapter)