Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 177 Brutal Internal Competition

"That's true, people in the north are very adaptable."

Another voice came from behind Schumacher and Ross Brawn; it was Field, the Mercedes test engineer.

Just a few months ago, Field accompanied Chen Xiangbei on a 2,000-kilometer rookie test drive at the Catalan circuit.

Back then, this Chinese newcomer, just like today, took to the RA108 race car directly, without feeling any unfamiliarity at all, and also started pushing forward on the very first lap.

Field has witnessed firsthand what a self-taught genius is like!

"Just how strong is it?"

Schumacher asked a question in return, seemingly intrigued.

Chen Xiangbei, this Chinese kid, really piqued his curiosity.

"On his first lap of testing, the rookie, driving the RA108 race car, beat McLaren's Silver Arrow."

Before the winter testing, Schumacher was still in retirement, so he naturally wouldn't pay attention to the test results of rookies.

Even my understanding of Chen Xiangbei came after the ROC National Cup, through Ross Brown's connections, when I learned about the extraordinary qualities of this Chinese rookie.

Field's answer was quite unexpected.

The RA108 is considered a bottom-tier race car; how could it outrun McLaren's championship-winning Silver Arrow?
Even though his opponents were also rookies in the test drive, they still couldn't close the gap in car performance, meaning that Chen Xiangbei was at least 1 second faster than his fellow "first-year" competitors!
Schumacher had a feeling that Chen Xiangbei was good, but he didn't expect him to be this strong.

"Field, do you think North can surpass Rosberg?"

Ross Brown asked who in the team was most familiar with Chen Xiangbei's driving skills.

I doubt anyone can surpass Field.

"Hard to say."

Field shook his head.

Mercedes signed Rosberg, though the main reason was his German citizenship.

But this does not mean that Rosberg only has a household registration.

This guy, you know, abruptly ended Hamilton's winning streak and snatched a World Championship title from him.

Without Rosberg, Hamilton might have won eight titles.

Rosberg's career path is very similar to that of current Mercedes driver Russell, both starting at Williams.

Compared to typical driver tests where they showcase their exceptional driving skills, Rosberg took a different approach, achieving the highest score in Williams' history in the engineering capability test.

This test assesses the driver's understanding of F1 car mechanics and vehicle engineering.

This means that Rosberg is a top student and naturally possesses the ability to tune cars.

As it turns out, this young German driver, who looks remarkably like Leonardo DiCaprio, does indeed possess extraordinary talent, scoring points in his professional debut and outperforming his veteran teammate Mark Webber in the second qualifying session.

As the son of a world champion, Rosberg possesses extremely solid driving skills, belonging to the type of skill that is profound yet seemingly effortless.

He may not give you a stunning, overnight sensation, but he will always be someone the team can trust.

Although this is just a winter test vehicle, and the drivers won't be pushing their limits like they would in a race, it's precisely this long-distance stability that Rosberg excels at, making it difficult for Chen Xiangbei to outrun him.

“Field, when you can’t give an answer, it means that in your heart you have already placed North on the same level as Rosberg.”

"The winter test results will prove whether you overestimated it."

Schumacher replied with a smile.

Now that he has achieved great success, Schumacher sees Chen Xiangbei and Rosberg as nothing more than children playing around, and can view them with a detached and otherworldly attitude.

Or to put it another way, Schumacher had not yet entered his "King of the Car" racing state at this moment, and the competition within the team had not aroused his desire to win.

A three-year retirement is indeed a bit too long.

Even Schumacher, who would stop at nothing to win, now seems nonchalant.

Compared to the Mercedes team's discussions based on experience among several "familiar faces," the HRT team's strategy group and engineering team were more focused on monitoring the various car data on the monitor screen.

The display shows not only Chen Xiangbei's cornering speed, but also the engine speed, gear shift timing, and throttle and brake pressure.

Based on this data, they can determine how much difference there is between Chen Xiangbei driving the TF110 prototype and the "perfect lap" simulated by the computer.

Meanwhile, in front of Briatore, there was Chen Xiangbei's in-vehicle monitoring screen, which allowed him to see directly whether there were any mistakes in the route planning process, or whether the shoulder had been pushed to its limit.

Briatore had never watched any of Chen Xiangbei's matches before, or to put it more bluntly, he had never paid any attention to this Chinese rookie.

Today marks the first time he has formally observed Chen Xiangbei's driving skills!
On the track, Chen Xiangbei continued to speed, going full throttle through the T3 corner, and then using the clockwise momentum of the track to move to the outside to ensure acceleration when exiting the corner.

The entire process was incredibly smooth, showcasing his mastery of the Catalan circuit.

Meanwhile, the numerous monitoring devices along the track have already calculated Chen Xiangbei's time for the S1 timing segment.

23 second 798!

It's important to understand that this is in contrast to lower-level Formula racing and the scaled-down test drive Chen Xiangbei previously conducted.

In a real F1 race and winter testing, the entire track and team equipment are fully equipped and kept running the entire time, which means that more information can be obtained.

This is why a fleet of equipment can weigh hundreds of tons.

At this point, the timing on the track is not just a single overall lap time, but rather the entire track is divided into three parts.

Each section has its own timing, allowing crew members and spectators to see more clearly where the driver is running fast or slow.

If a driver is the fastest in this time slot, it is called "brushing the purple mark".

If you are faster than the previous lap, the professional term is "sweeping the green".

If the run is particularly slow, it will be marked in yellow, which can also be called "brushing yellow".

Chen Xiangbei achieved a purple score in the S1 time trial, temporarily leading Rosberg's speed and securing the fastest time in the entire event!
"Briatoli, the North hasn't let you down, has it?"

Odette crossed his arms and asked the floral fabric a question in a slightly proud tone.

It was ostensibly an inquiry, but it was more of a way of "showing off"!
The old Italian rogue always believed that the driver's success was due to his training.

Odeto wanted to tell Huabu that Chen Xiangbei was a genius!
"not bad."

Briatore never cared about being humiliated; the better Chen Xiangbei performed, the higher his value became.

Nobody turns down money.

"Bell, how are the racing stats?"

Since Chen Xiangbei's performance met expectations, Hua Bu turned his attention to racing.

Of all the screens in the team's pit stop, only a few actually display driver data; most are used to monitor changes in the car's data.

For example, engine power, fluid, temperature, and even airflow direction.

The current HRT fleet is somewhat similar to the past. Even with Chinese capital investment, they are still lacking a lot of research and development equipment due to their short history, especially the most important wind tunnel.

Bob Bell, the design director, felt like a skilled cook without ingredients, and could only rely on the racing car data collected by the wake rake, and then optimize the racing car's aerodynamic components through computer simulation.

"The current data is very close to the computer simulation data, but the tire temperature is rising a bit too fast. Also, the steering wheel angle feels very large. I don't know if it's the driver's habit or if the car is understeer."

The root cause of understeer lies in the lack of sufficient grip at the front of the race car, which causes the car to deviate from its trajectory.

Conversely, oversteer indicates insufficient grip at the rear of the car, making it prone to fishtailing.

Ten years later, most F1 professional drivers are more adapted to oversteer driving styles.

The reason is that oversteering is easier to control than understeering, and it simplifies the cornering process.

Of course, there's an even more important point: as racing simulator technology improves, drivers can attempt high-speed cornering without damage, resulting in a higher success rate for oversteer. Over time, this becomes a habit.

Conversely, older generation drivers, such as Alonso and Webber, are more suited to driving with understeer.

In the early stages of their professional careers, they often practice on the track with real cars, having more confidence in their driving skills and control of speed, rather than leaving it to fate to "drift".

"Odette, what style of driver is North?"

"There is no special bias."

Odette shook his head. Throughout the past year of various car tuning, Chen Xiangbei had never emphasized his own driving habits.

"There's something wrong with the race car; watch out for the exhaust diffuser."

Upon receiving this answer, Briatore immediately issued instructions.

He was not a professional racing engineer; in fact, he wasn't even a racing professional in his early days—he was a complete novice.

However, Briatore's twenty-year professional career gave him exceptionally keen judgment.

Intuition told Huabu that the problem lay with the exhaust diffuser.

Then, Hua Bu turned to another crew and said, "Trulli, come on and test."

Although Odeto highly praised Chen Xiangbei's feedback and tuning abilities, and emphasized that this Chinese kid had been studying aerodynamics and racing engineering in addition to training.

But as a Chinese proverb goes, "A young man with no beard is unreliable."

Briatore will not fully trust a newcomer; he needs a veteran to test him against.

"Ah."

Trulli nodded in agreement, picked up his helmet, and prepared to get into the race car.

Trulli clearly distinguishes between public and private matters.

During any official F1 test or race, Briatore is the team manager, and the drivers must follow his instructions.

"By the way, Trulli, you've been a Toyota driver for several years, so you should be more suited to the style of the TF110."

"Could it be slower than Chinese newcomers?"

As he finished speaking, Hua Bu's tone was filled with a mocking sneer that seemed to invite a beating.

The old Italian rogue didn't care about separating public and private matters. He still remembered a conversation Trulli had with the media after he switched to the Toyota team.

At that time, a reporter asked Trulli whether he regretted switching to the Toyota team after Alonso won the world championship while driving a Renault car.

Trulli replied that he had absolutely no regrets!
Briatore, that bastard, doesn't even consider himself the number one driver, let alone the number two driver; he's treated like the "number three driver."

To use a popular internet phrase from later years, this is more than just not acting like a driver; it's like they're treating me like a Japanese person.

Trulli's blunt response further fueled public criticism of the already infamous floral fabric brand.

Now that Trulli is back under his wing, he'll naturally want to get his revenge.

Trulli merely snorted in response and offered no reply.

Now that we're under someone else's roof, we have no choice but to bow our heads; after all, the Toyota team has withdrawn.

However, after mocking him, Floral Cloth changed his tone and said, "Turulli, haven't you always wanted the number one driver treatment?"

"If you can beat the Chinese kid in the eight-day test, I'll make you the number one driver."

As soon as Briatore uttered those words, everyone in the repair shop looked at him with surprise, especially Chen Xiangbei's crew members.

It's worth noting that when Chen Xiangbei officially signed the contract, team owner Carabant, out of consideration for Chinese capital, asked him if he needed a clear driver order and a supplementary wingman agreement.

Chen Xiangbei refused without hesitation, valuing the pure spirit of sportsmanship more.

Barrichello is the best example of someone who doesn't want to use domestic sponsorships to forcefully confirm his status as the number one driver.

If Ferrari were to compete normally, Barrichello would be no match for Schumacher, and he would most likely concede defeat after defeat.

As a result, relying on the wingman agreement, they managed to pull off something like "giving up the car door."

Schumacher's victory was dishonorable, and Barrichello's defeat was unacceptable.

As a result, during his years as Ferrari's number two driver, Barrichello often complained and spoke sarcastically when interviewed by the media.

Furthermore, there is much controversy surrounding Schumacher's abilities, with some believing he won by exploiting his teammates.

In fact, Schumacher's driver points that year were close to "double" Barrichello's, and he only let Barrichello win the championship for the sake of appearances.

If Schumacher hadn't had such an impressive seven-time champion record, he might have ended up like Vettel, ranked in the "water" category.

This is why Chen Xiangbei is unwilling to use driver contracts to force driver priority and clearly define wingmen.

The problem is that he doesn't want to "give up the door" like Schumacher did.

My own victory was dishonorable, and my teammates were unwilling to accept their defeat!
"Briatoli, are you sure?"

Trulli asked in surprise, "How could someone like Floral Fabric let me be the number one driver? The sun must have risen in the west."

"Of course, I never break my word."

Briatore replied affirmatively.

As the old saying goes, a person's character is flawed, but that doesn't mean they lack ability or credibility.

On the contrary, Briatore is the kind of person who truly does things for money, and he doesn't care at all even if everyone criticizes him.

"Okay, then it's settled."

Trulli agreed without hesitation.

No one wants to be second best, and the number one driver enjoys far more team resources than the number two driver.

Testing, calibration, repair, new and upgraded parts...

All of these team resources must be prioritized for the number one driver.

Under normal circumstances, when the upgrade is effective, the number one driver usually has a 0.2-second lead.

Trulli had no idea what the floral fabric was up to; after all, who wouldn't want something for free?
Not to mention Trulli desperately wanted to prove Florentino Alonso wrong; he wanted to show that the team's decision to side with Alonso back then was a mistake!

As Trulli's car drove out of the pit lane, Odeto finally couldn't help but ask, "Briatoli, are you trying to stir up trouble within the team?"

Although for F1 drivers, the biggest opponent is often their teammate.

However, at times, it is still necessary to maintain a semblance of harmony, at least to avoid internal struggles that would result in mutual destruction.

Briatore's words were clearly intended to incite competition within the team, which is not a good thing for a "new" team.

Briatore remained calm in the face of Odette's responsibilities.

"Odette, what do you think are the professional goals of a racing team?"

"Of course, it's about competing for the world championship."

Odette answered without hesitation: no team is not striving for the championship.

"That's right."

"A mediocre team can accept fair competition between two drivers."

"Teams vying for the championship must clearly designate their number one and number two drivers!"

After saying that, Hua Bu turned to Odette and said, "You've worked in a large caravan, so you should know very well that only by clearly defining your position can you truly reduce internal losses."

(End of this chapter)