Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 175 F1 Winter Training Teams Assemble
Racing car development is often ahead of its time, meaning that the Renault power unit for the 2010 season was likely already taking shape in the second half of 2009.

Before Briatore's suspension and departure, Renault had already built a prototype of the R30 for the new season and completed ignition testing.

According to the data he obtained, the Toyota RVX-09 engine has already achieved a leading position in terms of horsepower alone!
However, F1 power units are incredibly complex, leaving a lot of room for tuning and optimization. The initial data from the Renault prototype does not necessarily equate to the final performance.

In addition, there are two other extremely important parameters for F1 power units: stability and durability!
It's worth noting that Formula 1 is nearly 60 years old, and there are countless power units with phenomenal specifications on paper. However, in actual track use, due to various design flaws, the excessive exploitation of engine performance is expected to lead to a high failure rate.

Just like Ferrari's engine lineup in the 2022 season, which had the highest horsepower output and top speed on paper, the result was that the engine was prone to overheating and crashing when the power was turned up, leading to retirement from the race.

Choosing between high speed and stability is something that engine suppliers can easily achieve.

Having both is as difficult as trying to have your cake and eat it too.

Regardless, the ignition performance on paper is impressive, which is at least a good start.

Chen Xiangbei vaguely remembers the team rankings of the Renault engine camp over the past 10 seasons.

Red Bull finished first in the constructors' championship, while Renault finished fifth.

Regardless of whether Red Bull's first place is more due to the superior power unit or the higher efficiency of its aerodynamic layout,

In any case, the Toyota TF110's starting design concept is similar to that of Red Bull's RB6, and now that the engine is not obviously a bottleneck, it means that the new race car has already succeeded in getting a lot of good deals.

This is absolutely a perfect start for a new team!

"Good, the performance is developing in the direction expected. It seems that we can at least guarantee competitiveness in the new season."

Chen Xiangbei nodded in satisfaction; the TF110 had indeed not disappointed him.

"Let's get in the car and go back to headquarters first. I guess Manager Huabu has a lot to talk to you about."

Lu Xiaoman had a playful smile on her face.

Briatore's mood during this period was almost directly proportional to the performance shown by the TF110.

This old Italian rogue has successfully appealed to the French High Court, which overturned the previous lifetime ban. He can return to the paddock by paying a small deposit.

Now, Florentino's goal is no longer limited to returning to the paddock; he is determined to give the FIA ​​and those who doubt him a hard time.

Proving one's success doesn't require underhanded tactics, but rather pure ability and leadership. Even with a small team starting from scratch, one can still lead it to the pinnacle of the paddock!

HRT is the next Benetton or Reynolds dynasty in floral fabrics!
"What does the fabric manager want to talk about?"

"money!"

Lu Xiaoman gave a straightforward answer.

For an F1 team to succeed, the answer is simple: rely on two things – the car and the driver.

Ultimately, both of these are based on "money".

As for Briatore, he didn't care about Chen Xiangbei's empty talk of "winning glory for the country." He only cared about how much business cooperation and sponsorship the Chinese boy could bring back from China after his trip back home.

The HRT team urgently needs to build or purchase a wind tunnel to keep up with the mid-season upgrades of last season.

Otherwise, they will face the same situation as the Brawn GP team this year: dominating the championship podium like a tiger in the early stages, but becoming utterly useless in the mid-term due to lack of funds for research and development upgrades.

Brawn GP was fortunate to have a Honda foundation and investments from Daimler Group and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which allowed them to bounce back in the final few races and shatter Red Bull's dream of taking on the challenge.

The HRT team wasn't so lucky. Putting aside the fact that the TF110 hadn't been verified, the involvement of Chinese capital alone had both advantages and disadvantages.

The benefit is more to Chen Xiangbei personally; he now has a powerful backer in China, which reverses the disadvantage of having a local household registration.

The downside is that, due to different national conditions, it will be more difficult to attract other capital for cooperation.

Of course, capital is profit-driven, and its drawback is that it raises the bar, but it doesn't become a barrier.

If the HRT team could create a Ferrari dynasty similar to Ferrari, or if Chen Xiangbei had the driving skills of Verstappen, would there be any fear of foreign capital entering the market to invest?
It's likely that by then it won't be the HRT fleet seeking sponsorship, but rather various investors actively seeking a cooperation opportunity.

On the way back to the team headquarters, Lu Xiaoman wanted to ask about the ROC National Cup, but Chen Xiangbei fell asleep shortly after getting into the passenger seat.

Seeing his exhausted appearance, Lu Xiaoman naturally didn't want to disturb him.

After about an hour's drive, the Volkswagen Golf, their mode of transport, pulled up in front of the team's headquarters. Chen Xiangbei, still half-asleep, woke up when he felt Lu Xiaoman shaking his shoulder.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the Leedsfield Technology Center in front of me had changed a lot in just one week.

The Super Aguri logo above the main gate has been replaced with three huge HRT letters. The once white factory exterior has now been painted a more futuristic silver.

After getting out of the car, Chen Xiangbei went straight to the garage without even taking his luggage.

To be honest, he was already quite impatient to see what changes the TF110 had made.

Stepping inside the Leedfield Technology Centre, the scene has changed significantly since I left.

The first impression it gives is "well-organized". The various "work clothes" that used to belong to different teams have now been replaced by uniform HRT team uniforms.

Furthermore, most of the equipment acquired from Toyota's Cologne R&D base has now been installed and debugged, and the interior space of the technology center is no longer as empty as before.

Most importantly, the research and development work has gotten on track. Chen Xiangbei saw that the shelves were full of all kinds of parts, and various CNC machine tools and 3D printing tables were in operation.

"Heading north, how's it going? Isn't it progressing quickly?"

"Ah."

"I have to admit, Briatore is indeed very capable."

Lu Xiaoman said this with a hint of helplessness.

Initially, she didn't have a good impression of Huabu. He talked big and acted nonchalantly, which was completely different from the traditional Chinese image of "steady and reliable". He didn't seem like a person who would do practical things.

As it turns out, you can't judge a book by its cover...

Despite his verbal sparring, Huabu is known for his decisive and efficient work style, completely lacking the procrastination and laziness often associated with Italians.

Furthermore, Briatore is extremely ruthless, whether dealing with former Super Aguri personnel or those from the Campos team.

Anyone who drags you down or disobeys will be ruthlessly kicked out.

After a series of rectifications, coupled with the notorious reputation of floral fabrics, the HRT fleet underwent a complete transformation in its morale.

Where there are people, there is a power struggle. Without Briatore's move, what seemed like a combination of Toyota, Honda, Renault, and Campos's resources would actually harbor the hidden danger of factions vying for power.

Chen Xiangbei couldn't solve this hidden danger, neither could Odeto, and even Carabant was lacking.

Only old scoundrels are suited to do "dirty work".

Hearing Lu Xiaoman's helpless sigh, Chen Xiangbei smiled.

If Huabu didn't have the ability, she wouldn't have come to him to beg him to be the team manager.

After passing through the corridor of the R&D department, Chen Xiangbei arrived at the "garage" where the race cars were assembled and parked. The garage was already full of engineers and maintenance technicians, who were debugging the various subsystems of the TF110.

With winter testing less than a week away, this vehicle has entered its final break-in period.

Before Chen Xiangbei left, the TF110 was still in its original carbon fiber color. Now it has been painted with the black and orange tones of the HRT team, similar to a combination of the main colors of Mercedes and McLaren in later generations.

Upon seeing Chen Xiangbei appear, Huabu's face was full of smiles as she warmly greeted him, "Bei, welcome back."

After saying that, Hua Bu naturally put his hand on Chen Xiangbei's shoulder, put his arm around him and brought him to TF110, saying, "Bei, do you see this? This might be one of the most powerful cars in the new season's beginner stage."

"Do you want it to evolve into a championship contender?"

"Manager, just say what you have to say."

Chen Xiangbei was well aware of the excessive enthusiasm the floral fabric displayed.

"TF110 is just one wind tunnel away from winning the championship. How much sponsorship did you secure during your trip back to China?"

Sure enough...

No wonder Xiaoman gave me that reminder on the way back.

It seems that Hua Bu has been talking about the wind tunnel a lot lately, and the crew members are all mentally prepared and have anticipated this.

"Fourteen million US dollars were used to purchase side-box advertising space for the race car."

"Only fourteen million US dollars?"

Upon hearing the number, Briatore was greatly disappointed and promptly removed his arm from her shoulder.

Petrov, also the first F1 driver from a country that made history, not only brought his own $20 million sponsorship, but also tens of millions of dollars in advertising sponsorship from Lada Motors, Bank of Russia, Vyborg Shipyard, and others.

Although Chen Xiangbei had previously received sponsorships from companies like Huali Auto and Jiuli Sports, those were primarily used to acquire shares in the racing team. In essence, they were investments and transactions, fundamentally different from simply giving money away.

Fourteen million US dollars may seem like a lot, but it's far from enough to build a wind tunnel!

It's worth noting that the Williams team's budget for building a full-size wind tunnel in 2004 was a staggering $45 million. As a result, when funds ran out, Sir Williams had to sell his private jet to fill the gap.

For aircraft, the higher the wind speed, the better. For example, the wind tunnels in China can reach speeds of up to tens of times the speed of sound.

F1 cars don't need such high wind speeds, but they do require a lot of volume. Ideally, the wind tunnel should be large enough to fit a complete model of a race car!
Currently, most F1 teams' wind tunnels can only conduct wind tunnel tests on 50-60% scale models. The data obtained still needs to be scaled up and simulated, and cannot be completely equivalent to the aerodynamic performance of the race car.

Conversely, if a 1:1 scale can be achieved, a huge advantage will be gained in simulation.

The team can also go a step further by placing two miniature race car models one in front of the other in a wind tunnel, which will allow them to test the airflow during follow-up maneuvers.

Clearly, a small wind tunnel cannot do this; Briatore's goal is to do it all at once!
"Manager, the national conditions are different. Fourteen million US dollars is a lot."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a complicated tone, "This old rogue's attitude changed so quickly. He really does only care about money, not people."

Motorsports is a niche sport in China, and the general public does not understand the advertising benefits and revenue brought by sponsorship. Large investments need to take into account the questioning and pressure from public opinion.

In particular, Chen Xiangbei has yet to achieve a good result in F1, which is full of unknowns.

If it were any other rookie paid driver, Briatore would probably have tried to squeeze them dry.

However, Chinese capital holds an absolute controlling stake in the HRT fleet, and Chen Xiangbei had at least offered timely assistance. Unable to secure funding, he could only shrug helplessly and sigh, saying, "Since that's the case, I guess I'll just have to take the loss."

"What do you mean?"

Chen Xiangbei was baffled by this statement. Could this old rogue really let him suffer a loss?

"I have decided to sell another HRT driver's seat to Italian driver Arno Trulli in exchange for a used Ferrari wind tunnel."

In an effort to narrow the gap between teams and make F1 racing more exciting and suspenseful, the FIA ​​issued a ban in 08 that only one wind tunnel could be used by a team.

As the only super powerhouse in F1 history, Ferrari used three wind tunnels to assist in research and development during its peak, thus creating the Prancing Horse dynasty of the Schumacher era.

The more wind tunnels you have, the more testing time you can spend blowing on the base plate, aerodynamic components, and the overall model separately, thus obtaining more accurate airflow data.

Why is the RA109 race car so strong?

Honda exploited a loophole in the FIA ​​regulations, which only allow one team to use one wind tunnel.

So it makes perfect sense for me to have three different teams using three different wind tunnels, right?

So Honda, Super Aguri, and Mercedes-Benz wind tunnels went all out, and somehow managed to develop this cutting-edge technology: the double-layer diffuser.

Of course, this vulnerability was patched in 09.

Furthermore, restrictions have been added, prohibiting even the second team from using the same chassis.

This is why many people in later generations were curious: since Red Bull Racing built Mars rovers for several consecutive years, why not just give them to Red Bull's second team as well?

It saves on R&D costs and also provides double the performance—isn't that killing two birds with one stone?
The answer is naturally that the FIA ​​wouldn't allow it; otherwise, wealthy factory teams would invest in their second teams, and F1 would eventually become a game of rotating ownership.

Just like pay-to-win online games, if it's full of whales and no casual players, the game is not far from dying.

Ferrari now only retains the main wind tunnel in Maranello, while the remaining two smaller wind tunnels are all for sale. This is where Trulli's Italian heritage comes in handy.

His main sponsor, who is also a sponsor of the Ferrari team, can act as a go-between.

Chen Xiangbei was fairly familiar with Trulli, after all, he was considered a veteran Italian player.

However, there was still one thing he didn't understand, so he asked, "Manager, what does this have to do with you suffering a loss?"

"Of course it's related. It could have been sold for money, and I could have collected a commission."

"Now that the wind tunnel has been changed, who will compensate me for my losses?"

Briatore answered confidently, stating that this was his philosophy.

They don't care who the team's drivers are, they only care about whether they have money.

As for the team's achievements, in a sense, they are merely a means to make money, not the ultimate goal.

As long as the funds brought by the drivers can cover the income of the championship team, no results are acceptable.

However, Briatore's idea has now been somewhat shaken.

That is, on the basis of making money, he also wants to achieve results, otherwise how can he prove those outsiders who once looked down on him and mocked him wrong?
As expected of you...

Chen Xiangbei was speechless for a moment. Others who wanted to make money at least tried to hide it, but Hua Bu was really blunt.

"Manager, can't you charge Trulli an extra commission?"

Lu Xiaoman couldn't help but ask a question.

Since the fabric company is already so shameless, it's normal for them to make some money by contacting drivers privately.

"Don't you know I don't get along with him?"

Briatore countered with a question, noting that his feud with Trulli was common knowledge within the paddock.

Many people know that Bruno Truno replaced Jenson Button, who was performing better in the team, with the newcomer Alonso based solely on his personal preference. But many people don't know that the other driver on the team at that time was Truno.

Logically, even if Florentino Pérez wanted to kick someone to make room for Alonso, he could have kicked Trulli, who performed even worse, since the team has two seats anyway.

The reason is simple: Trulli is a fellow Italian who loves floral prints...

This highlights Briatore's nepotism; how could he possibly kick out his fellow countryman? Of course, he would kick out the faster and stronger Barton!
So why did the two sides later become enemies?

The answer is equally simple, almost unbelievably: love can transfer...

Florentino Pérez prefers Alonso so much that when Trulli and Alonso competed for the spot in the team, he unhesitatingly sided with the Spanish newcomer.

It even went so far as to mention Trulli in 04, driving a Renault car to win the Monaco circuit, the most prestigious race in F1. Logically, as the team manager, Fabregas should have been very excited and congratulated the driver.

The old rogue's response was simply, "It was just luck."

Trulli was probably thinking, "Holy crap, are you even human?!"

With his car tilted to this extent, Trulli naturally couldn't stay with the Renault team any longer. He didn't even finish the entire season before switching to the Toyota team, where he drove until the end of 09 when the team disbanded.

There's one more thing Briatore didn't mention: besides getting a new wind tunnel, signing Trulli was also partly due to team boss Carabant doing Toyota a favor.

Having inherited such a large legacy as the Toyota team, it's only natural that they should also take in the drivers.

"Um, I'm not sure."

Lu Xiaoman replied sullenly that she was indeed unfamiliar with the history and grudges of the F1 paddock.

Hua Bu didn't care about this and turned to Chen Xiangbei, saying, "Turulli is impulsive and assertive. He won't be content to be the number two driver. You will face fierce competition within the team."

"That's normal. Nobody wants to be the number two driver."

Chen Xiangbei was indifferent. He never thought of relying on the team's Chinese equity to secure his position as the number one driver. He had expressed this point when he signed the driver contract with Carabant.

The number one driver's position is earned through his own efforts, not given to him by others.

"Okay, there's not much more to say. Let's go back and rest for a bit."

"Your dark circles are just like those of a giant panda in China."

The image of the national treasure is quite well-known abroad, and Briatore is also aware of this reference.

Chen Xiangbei was indeed exhausted from lack of rest, and he could only be a spectator here when it came to things like racing car debugging and development.

So he nodded, greeted his team members, and went back to his dormitory to rest.

When he opened his eyes again, it was the next morning.

As usual, after finishing breakfast, Chen Xiangbei went to the gym for physical training.

Now, Chen Xiangbei's physical fitness program, in addition to the shoulder and neck muscle training that he has always emphasized, also includes various aerobic and anaerobic endurance tests.

For example, just like in the movie, Chen Xiangbei wore a breathing mask, his upper body was covered with various electrocardiogram probes, and professional medical staff from the convoy stood next to him to monitor and test where his physical limits were.

After all, in the past, whether it was Renault or F3 racing, the entire race time was usually between half an hour and forty minutes.

F1 races, however, often last around an hour and a half, especially on high-temperature tracks where drivers wear thick fireproof racing suits, placing extremely high demands on their physical fitness and endurance.

Physical fitness events that were not weaknesses in the past may become the next weaknesses as the intensity of competitions increases.

Over the next few days, Chen Xiangbei spent his time on physical fitness tests and simulator training. Meanwhile, the team began packing up the parts, including two TF110 prototype cars, which would be transported to the Catalan circuit in Spain in containers.

Besides research and development and labor costs, transportation often takes up a significant portion of the budget for F1 team operations.

For HRT, a small fleet that is just starting out, the total weight of the equipment to be transported for winter testing alone is as high as more than 200 tons.

That's considered low; for luxury brands like Ferrari, the logistics cost per station can reach as high as 500 tons!

For European leg of the race, relying on land container transport is relatively cost-effective.

For transoceanic events, such as the Chinese Grand Prix or the American Grand Prix, air transport is often the only option.

The cost of air freight for hundreds of tons of cargo would be an astonishing figure.

The Ferrari team once calculated that the cost of global logistics was enough to buy several private jets.

On the morning of their departure, Briatore specifically sought out Chen Xiangbei and said to him with a playful expression, "Bei, I have two pieces of news to tell you."

"One good news and one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

"casual."

After spending some time with him, Chen Xiangbei was speechless at the old rogue's two-faced nature.

Sometimes he's carefree and nonchalant, and sometimes he's incredibly serious.

"Let's start with the good news. Carabant called to say that the advertising funds from China have arrived, and you will receive a share of $1.8 million."

"Isn't it two million?"

Chen Xiangbei countered with a question, explaining that his contract with the HRT team didn't contain any special clauses. The HRT team would receive 50% of the advertising revenue from the racing suits.

With four million dollars in revenue from hats and chest advertisements, he should theoretically be entitled to two million dollars.

"Have you forgotten our contract? As the manager, I will take ten percent of it."

"I will only agree to the reward for leading the team to success."

Chen Xiangbei retorted, "We haven't even achieved any results yet, and you're already taking a cut from the fabric?"

"Does integrating the HRT fleet count as a team leadership achievement?"

“North, you should know that my commission on Alonso is 20% of the contract.”

Briatore is not only a team manager in the F1 paddock, but he also serves as an agent.

Famous drivers like Alonso and Webber have signed management contracts with him, with a commission of 20%.

It is said that when the young rookie driver Corrapinto returned to the paddock, he also gave Florentino a considerable commission.

【Fuck】

Chen Xiangbei mentally scoffed. He knew Hua Bu was greedy, but he never expected this guy to be so stingy.

Can integrating the HRT fleet be counted as a team leader's performance?
But on second thought, it does make some sense.

Without Briatore's reputation and methods, the HRT team could only be considered strong on paper, but in reality, it was a disorganized mess of different factions.

"The bad news you're trying to tell me isn't about the commission, is it?"

"Of course not, how can this be considered bad news?"

Hua Bu shook his head. From his perspective, he actually thought Chen Xiangbei was the one who profited from the commission.

Only with sufficient benefits can there be sufficient motivation.

The HRT team's excellent teamwork means they can help Chen Xiangbei improve his performance.

For a driver, performance is the greatest commercial value, far exceeding the mere $200,000 commission.

This is why Alonso, Webber, and others, even knowing that Florentino Pérez was greedy and notorious, still chose to cooperate with him.

Because this guy, he really does get things done when he gets paid!
Even Alonso's position at Renault was secured thanks to the presence of Florentino Pérez, preventing him from being ousted by Button and Trulli.

That's equivalent to buying two world champions with a 20% cut!
"So what's the bad news?"

"Your super license application has been rejected again."

"what?"

Upon hearing this answer, Chen Xiangbei, who was usually calm and collected, finally couldn't contain himself any longer.

He could understand that he hadn't achieved any results before and was denied a special super license.

This is equivalent to practicing driving a car for a few days at a driving school and then wanting the vehicle management office to issue a license for driving a large truck, which is indeed a bit outrageous.

But now, he has proven himself in two F3 races.

Not to mention he even defeated Schumacher in the ROC Nations Cup.

Even though the ROC Nations Cup is not an official tournament under the FIA ​​system, it still has some reference value.

With consecutive victories against newly crowned F1 world champion Jenson Button, Australian V8 world champion Michael Schumacher, and seven-time F1 champion, isn't that enough?
Without a super license, Chen Xiangbei would be unable to participate in F1 races.

It's somewhat ridiculous that an official F1 driver can't even compete.

Why exactly was the application rejected?

Chen Xiangbei asked another question, as he really couldn't understand it.

"It might be related to me."

Hua Bu, unusually embarrassed, replied with a single sentence.

If F1 can be considered a paddock where competition and commerce coexist, then the FIA ​​is a purely bureaucratic organization.

This world is often just a makeshift operation, and the FIA ​​is no exception.

Briatore's successful appeal to France was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the FIA, and he was unusually high-profile, making various boasts to the media outside the court, claiming that he would create the next great legend upon his return.

It's one thing to be slapped in the face, but you're taking advantage of it. How can the FIA ​​tolerate this?
Since we can't get the floral fabric sorted out for now, let's just annoy Chen Xiangbei a bit. Anyway, the special super driver's license is ambiguous and there's no violation involved.

"But it's not a big problem. Jean Todt has become the new president of the FIA ​​this year. You can ask Ross Brown to talk to him and maybe even try to get in touch with his girlfriend."

Jean Todt was once a team principal at Ferrari, one of the three pillars of the Prancing Horse dynasty.

His girlfriend is the famous Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh. In Hua Bu's eyes, he doesn't care about whether someone is Chinese or not. As long as they have yellow skin and can speak Chinese, they are "Chinese".

You're such a jerk!

Chen Xiangbei never expected that Hua Bu's big mouth would have such a negative impact.

No wonder Carabant specifically warned that this guy was a double-edged sword.

Indeed, only businessmen truly understand how to weigh the pros and cons.

Now that things have come to this, Chen Xiangbei understands that further words are pointless.

However, the Italian old rogue's last sentence made some sense: as long as you get through to Jean Todt, getting a super license shouldn't be a problem.

Chen Xiangbei had seen many of Michelle Yeoh's movies, but the two had no personal relationship whatsoever unless he contacted Jackie Chan.

Chen Xiangbei didn't want to trouble Brother Cheng Long with this kind of thing, so it seemed he could only contact Starr and Ross Brown and ask them to handle the communication.

With their departure imminent, after Briatore shared these two pieces of information, the two boarded a bus bound for London Airport.

Chen Xiangbei is quite familiar with the Catalan circuit, having spent over a month test-driving there and covering more than 2,000 kilometers, leaving him feeling quite relaxed both physically and mentally.

However, Chen Xiangbei noticed that A Yong next to him looked a little nervous. Logically speaking, he had also been at the Catalan circuit for more than a month and should not have felt any sense of unfamiliarity, let alone be in this state.

"Ah Yong, what's wrong? You seem a little nervous."

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's question, A Yong realized what was happening and forced a smile onto his face.

"It's nothing, it's just that the fabric manager is very strict, and I'm worried that I won't do a good job."

During Chen Xiangbei's return to China, Briatore ruthlessly dismissed many technical personnel, demonstrating his "iron-fisted" approach.

As the level of competition increases and the technological content grows, A Yong and Lei Ge are finding it increasingly difficult.

They are well aware that "incompetent people" are not allowed in the F1 team.

If their skills and techniques don't meet the competition requirements, even with Chen Xiangbei's connections, they will still be eliminated.

Having come this far, A Yong desperately wanted to step into the F1 paddock with Chen Xiangbei, and he didn't want to disgrace Chinese mechanics.

He was quite nervous about heading to the Catalan circuit for a real race.

"Ah Yong, hard work pays off, you did a great job."

Chen Xiangbei offered firm encouragement, which was definitely not just a friendly consolation. On the contrary, he felt that A Yong, Lei Ge, and others were no less skilled than any foreign technicians.

Take changing a tire as an example. After practicing hundreds of times, it's no exaggeration to say that even with their eyes closed, these two people can accurately complete each step.

"really?"

"real!"

Chen Xiangbei smiled and patted A Yong on the shoulder.

After a journey of nearly four hours, the entire crew finally arrived in Barcelona at 2 p.m.

Buses had been arranged in advance, and the crew of over a hundred people traveled to a hotel near the Catalan circuit to check in.

However, compared to the "cold and quiet" scene last time, the Catalan circuit was bustling with activity this time. Chen Xiangbei even encountered the Mercedes and Sauber teams at his hotel.

He also met his F1 teammate, Italian driver Arno Trulli.

This is the only driver to have achieved a "double kill" over Alonso in both qualifying and points.

(End of this chapter)