Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 178: F1 Difficulty Beyond Expectations
Formula 1 racing is a model of teamwork, especially the pit stop for tire changes. If no mistakes are made, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it "action aesthetics," and it is indeed a feast for the eyes.

But Formula 1 racing also has a contradiction.

That is the value of the WDC (Drivers' Championship), which is actually far greater than the WCC (Constructors' Championship).

Many racing fans can readily name which driver won the world championship in a particular year.

However, when the drivers' championship and the team championship are not from the same team, the team championship that year will be overshadowed by the drivers' championship and forgotten by most people over time.

For example, Verstappen, the 24-time world champion driver, and McLaren, the world champion team.

To some extent, this means that individual performance must be higher than team performance.

Given this, whether considering public opinion and publicity or the actual benefits it brings...

For both the team management and the individual drivers, the priority is definitely winning the drivers' championship.

Then the problem of "splitting the votes" will arise.

Under the current F1 points system, winning a race earns 25 points, second place only 18 points, third place only 15 points, and fourth place 12 points.

Based on the point difference, the largest point difference between the champion and the runner-up was a full seven points, which gradually narrowed to three, two, or one point later on.

In other words, winning a race is far more valuable than any other ranking.

If the team doesn't build a Mars rover that's far ahead of the competition, but is only slightly better or on par with other teams' cars.

Meanwhile, the two drivers within the team are very evenly matched, with each taking a race win, preventing a decisive points lead. This means the drivers' championship could very well go to someone else.
Take the McLaren team in 24 as an example. After a mid-term upgrade, the car was very powerful and once caught up with Verstappen, giving them a chance to make history, but ultimately they fell short.

Of course, there's an element of Norris's mental breakdown and inability to control the game under the pressure of the title race.

However, the slow tire-changing decision at the Canadian Grand Prix, the strategic controversy at Silverstone in the UK, and the team infighting caused by the passing order at the Hungarian Grand Prix, coupled with the open and covert struggle between the two drivers, all contributed to the situation.

All these problems and shortcomings have exposed that McLaren was not prepared to compete for the championship.

In particular, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, in order to maintain team unity, the team radio command forced Norris to relinquish his position, thus paving the way for Piastri's first victory.

From the general public's perspective, Piastri was in the lead from the start. The team called Norris in for a pit stop first, and he overtook his teammate via the undercut. So there was no problem with handing over the position.

This is the fairness of sportsmanship!

But from that moment on, McLaren completely lost its chance to compete for the Drivers' Championship.

From the perspective of a strong-willed team leader like Hua Bu, he doesn't care about the absolute fairness of sports competitions; he only cares about the final victory.

A team aiming for the championship is still embroiled in internal strife, with the team deciding who pits first and who pits later.

It's ridiculous that they even made the championship contenders switch positions.

Whether it was the Ferrari dynasty, the Renault dynasty, or even the Red Bull dynasty, they all established a clear relationship between the number one and number two drivers in order to avoid such internal friction.

Briatore joined HRT not to build a mediocre team, but to compete for championships and prove his ability to the world!

Whether the champion driver is Chen Xiangbei or Trulli is not important.

He didn't want to see the team's resources being wasted, or even the two drivers engaging in fierce infighting over rankings, refusing to give way to each other, or even staging a "mutual destruction" scenario where both cars retired from the race.

Such intra-team clashes are common in F1 history; basically, teammates eventually become the biggest rivals.

To avoid this potential problem, it would be better to let them compete in advance!
Odette, who also worked in F1 for decades, did not agree with Briatore's personality, but he could understand his intentions and philosophy.

He didn't say anything more about it, and took a step back by acquiescing.

Chen Xiangbei on the track was unaware of the dispute in the pit lane, and even less aware that Hua Bu had instigated Trulli to compete for the number one driver's seat.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei was trying to increase his speed as much as possible, while also paying close attention to the tire temperature changes of the TF110 through the LCD instrument panel on the steering wheel. He had already noticed that the rear tire temperature was abnormally high.

"Odette, how was my speed in the second timed section?"

As the race car passed through Turn 10, Chen Xiangbei pressed the call button and asked a question.

"Paint green, be aware of the instability caused by crosswinds behind."

Compared to the cloudless skies of the Catalan circuit in summer, the weather conditions in winter become much more complex.

Meanwhile, the airspeed tube installed on the car can accurately capture changes in the airflow around the race car, data that could not be obtained during previous test drives.

[Is this a green light?]

The green color indicates that the speed in the S2 time trial is faster than the warm-up lap, but not as fast as the fastest lap on the track.

This also means that Chen Xiangbei is slower than Rosberg in this time segment.

"Odette, did you detect that the rear tire temperature is too high?"

"Yes, the team's engineers are looking for the cause, and the initial guess is that it's related to the exhaust gas collector."

After answering Chen Xiangbei's question, Odeto added something else.

"In the north, adapting to racing means you need to seize the window of opportunity."

Adapting to racing, much like developing a "feel" for the car, is often seen as a mystical concept by the average person.

To what extent does one need to be proficient in racing?

But for professional drivers, especially top drivers like those in F1.

There is a very clear standard for adapting to racing: seizing the vehicle's window of opportunity.

The reason why F1 cars are difficult to drive is that they are extremely "delicate".

This "delicate" quality refers not only to its mechanical properties such as durability and stability, but also to its delicate handling process.

Take the simplest example of brakes: if you press the brake lightly, you can't stop; if you press it hard, the tires lock up.

刹车踏板踩到底的施压重力为100公斤的话，F1车手要做到在3号弯踩出56.7公斤的力度，5号弯踩出72.9公斤的力度。

Yes, it's that precise. Only with this level of accuracy can you guarantee that you can brake to the desired speed quickly without locking the brake discs in the wheel rims.

If it were merely a matter of controlling the difficulty level to an extreme, it wouldn't be considered delicate enough.

F1 racing cars use special carbon fiber composite brake discs paired with carbon ceramic calipers. When the temperature is low, there is no braking force, and when the temperature is high, the brakes wear out quickly, which also reduces braking force.

The driver needs to have extremely precise control over this balance point to ensure that the brake discs can dissipate heat sufficiently without getting too cold.

Then take into account the tire's optimal operating temperature to ensure it is neither too hot nor too cold.

The perfect period when all the demanding conditions are combined is called the racing window.

During qualifying, drivers often push themselves to the limit during this window!

How to control this window of opportunity depends on how the driver utilizes the track's air intakes for cooling.

Later, when Zhou Guanyu and Bottas were with Sauber, they often heard "release the oil and slide" in the team's instructions.

On the one hand, the race cars are not fast enough and carry too little fuel, so this method is needed to pass the post-race weigh-in.

On the other hand, there are certain design flaws in the vehicle that necessitate using coasting to cool down the brakes or tires.

We can no longer push forward at full speed with sudden acceleration and braking.

When Odeto said those words, he was, in a way, telling Chen Xiangbei something as well.

It's no longer the F3 era; F1 races typically consist of around sixty laps.

Long-distance driving requires drivers to make their own judgments on when to push forward and when to protect the tires, seizing the window of opportunity when the race car is at its optimal operating temperature.

This window period is not fixed; it varies for each car and each track.

This is the essence of a driver adapting to racing, and it's far more complex than just oversteer or understeer.

Why are there only 24 official F1 drivers in the world? After deducting paid drivers and drivers from various countries, only a dozen or so can truly secure their seats based on their abilities.

The reason is that controlling an F1 car is extremely difficult, beyond most people's understanding of vehicles!

"clear."

Chen Xiangbei understood the logic, gave a simple reply, and then removed his thumb from the call button.

At this point, he not only has to focus on his own control, but also pay close attention to the subtle changes in temperature, steering, and grip, seizing the peak window of performance for this race car.

F1 drivers who stand at the pinnacle of the world are never just famous for nothing!
As the race cars roared past, the engineers in the pit lane were also constantly monitoring the speed changes of the other teams.

In particular, several competitive teams, such as established giants like Ferrari and new challengers like Red Bull, are curious about the strength of the new teams that have expanded F1 this year.

Red Bull team manager Horner, in particular, kept his eyes glued to the monitor screen.

Judging solely from his team management achievements, Horner is definitely a top-tier team leader, and could even compete with GOTA.

Before entering the F1 arena, he built a team called Arden International from scratch and brought it to the pinnacle of the F3000 series.

Then in 05, through Marco's introduction, he met with Red Bull owner Marshtz and officially became the leader of this "new team".

And Horner, at the age of 31, was the youngest team principal in F1 history!
Youth is not a disadvantage; Horner demonstrated exceptional management and operational skills, as well as an extraordinary ability to poach talent.

Back then, through driver Coulthard's connections, they poached McLaren's legendary designer Newey!

From then on, Red Bull embarked on a path to becoming stronger, gradually ascending to the championship title in just five years, ushering in the Red Bull dynasty era under Vettel, and Horner thus becoming the youngest team principal to win the championship in F1 history. If Briatore's keen eye for talent, discovering the geniuses Schumacher and Alonso, created his legend...

Horner, in comparison, is more well-rounded, a true all-around leader.

If there is any shortcoming, it is that it lacks the iron fist of a powerful figure like Huabu, and cannot suppress internal struggles.

Horner has a traditional management style; he doesn't do much innovation and focuses on management efficiency.

Horner has a detailed understanding of the data of several new F1 drivers who joined this year. In his mind, Hulkenberg is ranked first, Chen Xiangbei second, and Russian driver Petrov last.

However, Chen Xiangbei's lap time is now almost on par with Rosberg's, which is quite unexpected.

Was it a misjudgment on their part, or was the Toyota Legacy TF110 prototype vehicle simply very powerful?

"Newey, don't you think the TF110 aerodynamic kit and design concept are very similar to our new race car RB6?"

F1 aerodynamics legend Andrea Newey did not stay at the team's R&D headquarters for winter testing; instead, he came to the Catalan circuit to collect data.

Last year, Red Bull Racing surged ahead in the second half of the season, nearly overturning Brawn GP to win the Drivers' Championship.

If Ross Brawn hadn't acted decisively, selling the team's equity directly to Daimler Group and securing full financial and technical support from Mercedes, the later car upgrades wouldn't have stabilized the situation.

Red Bull Racing may be able to start its championship journey a year earlier.

However, the success of the mid-term upgrade of the RB5 allowed Newey to determine its design philosophy and R&D direction.

This year's RB6 will be Red Bull's first championship car!

It was with this ambition and obsession that Newey personally came to the Catalan circuit to collect data.

"Not just very similar, almost identical."

The TF110 racing car's aerodynamic kit was disguised in some ways, but these "small tricks" were no different from self-deception in the eyes of a true aerodynamic master. He saw through the design concept at a glance.

The high nose cone design, combined with a double diffuser, and the extremely complex canard structure and endplates, especially the forward-positioned engine, allow the airflow from the exhaust to pass through the tail fin to increase downforce.

All indications suggest that the TF110 and RB6 follow the same technological path.

"So what do you think of Chinese driver Bei's ability?"

"I do not know."

Newey answered very simply that he was a design engineer, not a competition engineer.

It's impossible to give a prediction of the driver's ability.

"Vettel, what do you think?"

Horner then turned to Vettel, who was getting into the car behind him, and asked him a question.

He partnered with Schumacher and had met Chen Xiangbei at the ROC Nations Cup, so they were relatively familiar with each other.

"His basic skills are very solid; at least his minimum level is not far off."

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei left a deep impression on Vettel at the Bird's Nest.

It wasn't just that he defeated Schumacher; more importantly, this Chinese driver, whether in touring car racing or rally car drifting, almost reached the standard of a world-class driver.

Formula One drivers aren't born knowing how to drive other race cars; their ability relies more on fundamental skills and a feel for the car.

At least in Vettel's eyes, Chen Xiangbei's four "leapfrog" performances were not entirely due to Chinese capital; his abilities might even amaze outsiders.

"Push it around once in a bit, I need to get the comparison data."

Horner initially did not intend to have the driver push the car on the first day of winter testing; he wanted to test the basic performance and stability more.

The appearance of Chen Xiangbei and the similar design concept of TF110 have inexplicably made him feel a sense of crisis.

RB6 may not be the only "Mars rover".

"OK."

Vettel nodded, his tone very relaxed.

His not looking down on Chen Xiangbei does not mean that he values ​​Chen Xiangbei that much.

Schumacher is ultimately a god descending from the mountain. He won all eight races in the ROC Nations Cup, and even led the Chinese team's Han Han by more than three seconds on a single lap, while driving a rally car that he was not particularly good at.

He's confident he can lead by 5 seconds in a motorhome and 8 seconds in a Formula One car!
"Water" is just a superficial aspect.

Or to put it another way, the reason it seemed "watered down" was that no opponent could put pressure on Vettel during the same period, making the championship win a foregone conclusion.

The same applies to Hamilton.

The car is indeed a very important factor, but the same "Mars rover" driven by a different person may not necessarily win the championship.

Just like Red Bull racing cars, everyone thought the cars were superior, until McLaren rose to prominence and people realized that it was the people who were superior.

While Horner was talking to Newey, Chen Xiangbei had already crossed the finish line on the track.

Lap times were displayed almost in real time on the pit monitoring screens of each team.

1 minutes 20 seconds 766!

"Oh my god, the Chinese newcomers are moving so fast, they've already reached the top spot."

"Rosberg was 0.2 seconds slower than Mercedes, they bet on the wrong horse."

"Test results don't mean anything; Rosberg might not have made any progress at all."

"Then Virgin's rookie driver, De Grassi, was more than two seconds slower than driver North. Even if he didn't push, he shouldn't be that much slower, right?"

"There's definitely a reason why they were able to skip grades."

Since many drivers haven't yet tested on the track, the engineers and mechanics at the pit stop are relatively free, and they've been discussing the results with great interest.

Rookies entering F1 always attract attention, especially a newcomer from China!
"Manager Briatore, what was my lap time?"

"1 minutes, 21 seconds, 766."

"What? I'm that slow?"

Chen Xiangbei was quite surprised to hear Huabu's answer.

He had done over 2,000 kilometers of rookie testing at the Catalan circuit, which was the F1 circuit he was most familiar with, besides Suzuka Circuit, and even surpassed Silverstone Circuit next to the UK headquarters.

Although the race cars they drive are different, the drivers are very sensitive to their own speed.

Chen Xiangbei paid special attention to cornering speed and straight-line maintenance, and basically surpassed RA108 in all aspects. How could he be more than a second slower?

"Manager, are you sure the lap time is correct?"

Are you doubting my eyesight?

"not me……"

Chen Xiangbei was about to explain when Briatore rudely interrupted him, "Bei, don't act like a newbie. Don't make excuses for driving slowly; look for the reasons within yourself!"

Having said all that, even though Chen Xiangbei was full of doubts, continuing to say anything would just be like making excuses for himself.

He could only suppress his doubts and say, "I'll try pushing again on the next lap and see if I can go faster."

"Very good, I'm looking forward to your performance."

After saying that, Briatore switched the voice channel and gave Trulli the command: "MAN, do you want to know North's lap time?"

"explain."

Trulli's answer was cold and concise; he had no desire to waste words with the floral fabric.

"1 minutes, 20 seconds, 266."

what?
Trulli was also quite surprised to hear the lap time.

A rookie test-driving a new race car for the first time, and he can achieve this lap time?
It's worth noting that the pole position time for the entire year at the Catalan circuit is only 1 minute 19.511 seconds.

Although the weather conditions at the Catalan circuit were very poor last year, coupled with the immature energy recovery system, the pole position lap time was much slower than in previous years.

However, it's not a result that Chen Xiangbei could achieve by pushing the "tail-speed palladium" for one lap.

"Really that fast?"

Trulli also raised his own doubts, finding it rather unbelievable.

"What, you can't outrun the Chinese newcomers, can you?"

Briatore's mocking tone came through the earpiece.

At this point, Trulli also knew that saying more would be pointless, and that asking further would only give the old Italian rogue an opportunity to make things worse.

However, all the non-Renault crew members in the HRT team's pit were staring at Briatore in disbelief; he had already stirred up trouble before the test.

They actually reported the lap times, so how can they still spread false information like this?
(End of this chapter)