Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 183 Adjusting the Speed ​​of the Ensemble
The TF110 sped wildly on the track. Because the engine power was reduced, the window for the car to reach its maximum output was actually extended, so Chen Xiangbei didn't have to pay attention to the fluid pressure all the time.

At the same time, the rear wing was balanced, producing an effect similar to the DRS activation in later generations, which reduced the downforce of the airflow through the rear, thereby lowering the temperature of the tires and brake discs.

Of course, this kind of tuning has its advantages and disadvantages. Without enough downforce, there is not enough grip.

After all, F1 cars are able to become the kings of the track thanks to the amazing downforce generated by their aerodynamic design.

This is the only racing car on Earth that can theoretically adhere to the ceiling!

However, the air pressure was too high due to the exhaust diffuser, which caused understeer.

Although the downforce has been reduced, resulting in oversteer, there is still a slight fishtailing effect in the corners.

However, for a driver like Chen Xiangbei, who is used to the style of simulators from later generations and has also participated in professional rally racing, he is more comfortable with oversteer than understeer.

"FUCK, the speed on the North lap time trial is this fast?"

"Didn't the HRT race car have an engine failure? How dare they still set it to full power output?"

"Is driver Bei pushing himself to the limit and trying to get the fastest lap during winter testing in order to shed the label of being a paid driver?"

"The Chinese newcomers are too aggressive; I don't understand what the HRT team's strategy group is trying to do."

The engineers from the maintenance team were all discussing it. The HRT team's behavior today was too strange, and it was not at all in line with the normal progress and rhythm of winter testing.

It was as if they were treating this as a challenge for the drivers, rather than a test for the race cars!
Listening to the crew members' discussion, Newey spoke up: "I feel that the HRT team is not aggressively testing full power; they have realized the changes brought about by the exhaust diffuser."

"So fast?"

Horner was somewhat surprised to hear this. The HRT team engineer was not the designer of the TF110 race car and had even experienced an engine failure on the track. How could he have achieved "enlightenment in a single day"?

"Yes, Bell is very good."

In previous years, the "Red vs. Blue" battle was the most eye-catching battle in the F1 paddock, and Newey naturally paid close attention to the cars built by Renault.

Bob Bell is a racing car designer whose talent exceeds his fame.

"Is it possible that driver Bei's abilities exceeded expectations?"

While engineers focus on the race car, Horner is more focused on the driver.

Chen Xiangbei's performance today has truly overturned his perception of Chinese drivers.

Even Horner's hat trick in the F3 support race at Spa was not as impactful as today's test lap time.

It's worth noting that after Chen Xiangbei set a lap time that surpassed pole position, Horner asked Vettel to increase his speed to see if he could easily beat the Chinese rookie.

It turns out that it's not possible!

If Vettel doesn't play at his best, he can't outrun Chen Xiangbei when he's pushing at full speed.

Horner found this answer unacceptable.

Vettel and Hamilton became F1 drivers in the same year, both debuting as super talents and becoming the focus of attention.

Furthermore, their current achievements have lived up to their reputation as super geniuses.

Hamilton needs no introduction. He won the world runner-up title in his debut year and became the world champion the following year. Such speed is unprecedented in F1 history.

Vettel is actually quite good; he is the youngest pole position winner, the youngest points winner, and the youngest hat-trick scorer.

Furthermore, he is the youngest F1 runner-up, champion, and second, third, and fourth champion in history.

Each record here is enough to prove a driver's top-notch skills.

However, they failed to completely overwhelm a Chinese newcomer.

Not only did they not crush him, but they were also a full 0.4 seconds slower per lap!
Unlike Marco, Horner did not have racist tendencies.

Even when Marco later made discriminatory remarks against Perez, Horner publicly criticized this behavior.

He would not deny Chen Xiangbei's strength and potential simply because he is Chinese.

One lap could be considered occasional, but Chen Xiangbei is getting faster and faster, that's real strength!
"To understand whether it's the car that's faster or the driver that's faster, you have to look at his teammate's lap time."

Newey calmly replied that the F1 paddock has always had its own set of judging criteria.

The speed of drivers from two different teams cannot be compared fairly to some extent.

After all, the performance and tuning styles of racing cars differ, making it impossible to reach a unified standard.

It's like the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams in 25. Apart from Verstappen, whoever drives the big Red Bull is slower.

Just because Yuki Tsunoda can't outrun Lawson, does that prove that the former is necessarily worse?

To determine who is worse, the only comparison is between teammates driving the same race car.

Even when it comes to competing for seats, it doesn't really matter if you drive slowly, as long as you drive faster than your teammates.

A minute or so passed in the blink of an eye. As the TF110 roared across the finish line, the track monitoring equipment obtained Chen Xiangbei's lap time.

1 minutes 18 seconds 993.

"OH~~~!"

Various exclamations of surprise rang out simultaneously from the pit lanes of each racing team.

Based on their speed in segments, they anticipated that Chen Xiangbei's lap would be fast, but they didn't expect it to be this fast.

Driver Bei broke through to the 1 minute 19 second mark!
If this result had been achieved in last year's Catalan qualifying session, it would have left the second-place driver far behind.

"Trulli, go full speed ahead on this lap."

Briatore showed no sign of delight; instead, he calmly instructed Trulli to push.

The reason is simple: Chen Xiangbei's lap times were too fast, exceeding his common sense understanding from years of serving as a team manager.

At that moment, Briatore also wondered whether the car was faster or the person was faster.

Furthermore, Chen Xiangbei's full-speed advancement proved that the engine could withstand the pressure after the power was reduced, so there was no need to be as cautious as before.

Trulli was taken aback by Briatore's sudden instruction.

With the engine failure incident temporarily halting the competition between himself and Chen Xiangbei, and given the need to protect the engine's lifespan, why would he want to push forward at full speed at this time?
Something unusual must be going on. Just as Trulli was pondering the reason, a race car with the same black and orange color scheme sped past him.

In that instant, Trulli seemed to understand something.

"Soter, what's the speed when we go north for a loop?"

"1 minutes, 18 seconds, 993."

Trulli was completely stunned when he heard the race engineer Soter's answer.

Can a Chinese kid run a time under 1 minute and 18 seconds?
Honestly, Trulli would never have believed those words if they had come from Briatore's mouth instead of his own race engineer, Soter.

But he had worked with Söder for many years and knew that this German competition engineer never joked about critical information.

Briatore also heard the TR voice message, but this time he didn't say anything to mock or provoke Trulli to speed up.

One reason is the fear of another engine failure.

On the other hand, Chen Xiangbei's speed was too exaggerated, which really stimulated Trulli to push to the limit, greatly increasing the risk of a crash.

We should weigh the pros and cons; we should still consider floral fabric.

"I see."

Trulli let out a long sigh and composed himself in shock.

He is a veteran driver, and also a driver known for his single-lap record.

I understand very well the truth that as a driver, you can lose, but you can't be afraid!

Especially since the other party was a newcomer from China.

Whether it's for the treatment of the number one driver or for the dignity of a veteran, Trulli will give 100% of his strength this lap to prove his speed.

Trulli was speeding along, while Chen Xiangbei was changing tires at the station.

This time, however, he did not switch to soft tires to push the limits. Instead, he followed the team's instructions and switched to medium yellow tires to test the car's long-distance tire wear and stability.

Judging from its current performance, the TF110 has an excellent aerodynamic layout. In addition, with the presence of the exhaust diffuser, a cutting-edge technology, Bob Bell predicts that it should be able to rank in the top three in winter speed tests.

He wasn't worried about top speed, but rather about stability and tire wear.

Based solely on Chen Xiangbei's and Trulli's tests, the high downforce caused significant tire wear, and the brake discs and tire temperature were also unbalanced. Even adjusting the rear wing angle could not completely eliminate this problem.

This time, the time taken to change tires in the pit lane improved, with Chen Xiangbei stopping for a total of 3.1 seconds upon exiting the pit. However, Briatore still showed dissatisfaction, as he was still far from his 2.5-second standard and his performance appeared inconsistent.

At this moment, Hua Bu didn't have the extra energy to focus on the details of the pit stop tire change. His eyes quickly locked onto the monitor screen in the pit room, where Trulli's car data was displayed in detail.

In terms of speed alone, Trulli is almost on par with Chen Xiangbei.

"Briatoli, it seems my guess was right. The TF110 race car doesn't rely on maximum power. The KERS kinetic energy recovery system can compensate for the top speed on the straights. The combination of output mode and torque curve is the key to the car's speed!"

Bob Bell was extremely excited, saying that nothing was more important than, as a design director, finding the right direction for race car development.

Whoever masters the KERS kinetic energy recovery system and exhaust diffuser—two trendy gadgets—in the new season will become the next "Mars rover."

Hearing Bell's words, Huabu looked somewhat embarrassed.

The design director can remain completely neutral and simply be happy about the speed of the race car.

Briatore, however, has a "conflict of interest" with Trulli, and he plans to find an excuse to kick Trulli out of the team in exchange for a regular driver's seat.

Trulli isn't slow now, so how can we operate?

Back in the day, Huabu wouldn't care about a driver's skill level; anyone blocking his path to wealth should be kicked out.

But things are different now. The public condemnation brought about by the "crash incident," along with the FIA's ban, has deprived Briatore of the capital to act recklessly.

Or to put it another way, before messing around, you should at least produce some results.

That's how competitive sports are; if you lead a team to success, even a scoundrel will be eager to join.

Without achievements, even if you are a saint, you are worthless.

"It seems the car is fast."

In the end, Briatore could only say this reluctantly; it was impossible for him to congratulate Trulli.

We didn't even congratulate Monaco when they won the championship, so don't even think about it now, let alone a mere winter test!

As Trulli crossed the finish line, his lap time appeared on the monitoring screen.

1 minutes 18 seconds 995.

Upon hearing this news, everyone in the HRT team's pit crew was overjoyed.

The worst fears did not come true; Toyota's engine does not have any serious design flaws, it's just that its maximum output does not reach the impressive figures on paper.

However, the aerodynamic layout of the Toyota TF110 perfectly matches the engine's performance output, which may be the true design philosophy of Toyota engineers!

"Well done, Trulli."

"Trulli is still as sharp as ever."

"The two drivers are close in speed, which means the car is performing well and we will be very competitive in the new season."

"Go for it, HRT!"

Hope is the most inspiring thing.

In the past, the crew members regarded "competing for the championship" more as an inspiring dream and goal.

Just like when we were in school, everyone wanted to get into Tsinghua or Peking University.

But at this moment, they truly felt there was hope for their dreams to come true.

"Soter, what was my lap time?"

After the car crossed the finish line, Trulli asked his race engineer a question.

"1 minute 18.995 seconds, very good."

Soter praised him enthusiastically.

The team is not only about competition, but also about unity.

Even though Trulli was a bit slower, the two drivers' lap times were close, which meant they could make a lot of plays together on the track.

Even without the sacrifice of blocking or yielding to other vehicles, at least creating a wake shouldn't be a problem.

Trulli's performance with the Toyota team in recent years has not been good. Even with his feat of reaching the podium three times in five races, it is still far from the peak he achieved when he debuted with the Prost team.

Now that Trulli finally has a good car, he is about to experience a career resurgence.

However, compared to Soter's excitement, Trulli's feelings were mixed.

Being 0.02 seconds behind meant he lost to the rookie once again.

There are only two possibilities for a "first-year student" to outrun a veteran driver: either a super genius suddenly appears out of nowhere.

Or perhaps the teammate is "old and malfunctioning," on the verge of retirement.

Regardless of the type, veterans will face immense psychological pressure.

Trulli is a very competitive driver, and he cannot accept his repeated failures.

When the lap times of the two HRT drivers were broadcast throughout every pit lane on the track, it undoubtedly caused a major upheaval.

No one expected that the "newcomers" who had just joined the F1 paddock could deliver a near-perfect performance on the first day of testing, with both drivers surpassing their pole position results from last year and taking the top two spots on the current lap time leaderboard.

Especially when compared to Virgin Racing, which is also a "newcomer," it makes one wonder if the two are even in the same league.

It's worth noting that the Virgin Racing team has removed the "wake rake" used to monitor airflow and replaced it with green fluorescent powder covering the race car.

This move does not mean that Virgin Racing's design is so perfect that it does not need a pitot tube to improve its aerodynamic components.

On the contrary, the design was a complete failure, to the point that the "wake rake" was beyond repair. The only way to salvage it was to use fluorescent paint throughout the vehicle. If that didn't work, it would have to be scrapped and rebuilt.

Of course, the other teams in the paddock were also well aware that HRT had inherited Toyota's legacy.

It is precisely because they know this that they are even more shocked and threatened!
Last year, a historic lucky break occurred with the Brawn GP team. Could this miracle happen twice more?
No one knows the answer, but there are ways to verify it.

Almost every team's race engineers worked overnight to revise their original winter testing plans, moving the final day's high-speed sprint test to the second day of the winter testing.

If the speed of the race car is significantly different from that of the HRT, then there is no doubt that the research and development direction is wrong; it should be copied or modified as needed.

So, on the second day of winter testing, this is what happened: the HRT team, which had been very aggressive the day before, was now behaving very honestly, testing their cars over long distances and with various types of tires and fuel loads.

The two drivers even made frequent pit stops to provide the crew with dynamic pit stop practice.

The teams that were conducting regular testing on the first day issued instructions to their drivers to push the car to its full potential, wanting to test the car's top speed.

As it turned out, Chen Xiangbei's performance was indeed quite good, but it wasn't enough.

F1 truly brings together some of the world's strongest people, and when they get serious and give it their all, they are absolutely not to be underestimated!

In just one morning, the winter testing lap time leaderboard was refreshed at an alarming rate, with Jenson Button, the defending champion who transferred to McLaren, being the first to surpass Chen Xiangbei's lap time.

Following Hamilton, Webber, Alonso, and Vettel.

These racing "monsters" demonstrated their terrifying strength, setting the fastest lap time at 1 minute 17.874 seconds, more than a second faster than Chen Xiangbei's record.

Looking at the impressive lap times on the screen, the HRT team members in the pit lane remained calm, showing no sense of urgency at being left far behind.

"After the KERS kinetic energy recovery system was optimized, it became easier for drivers to use and also greatly helped to improve the speed of the race car."

"Mercedes and Renault have very strong engine performance, especially the McLaren team with Mercedes engines, which is even stronger than the Mercedes factory team. It is well worthy of the foundation of a long-established powerhouse team."

"Furthermore, Alonso's individual ability is truly remarkable. He is almost a second faster than his teammate Massa, making it difficult to assess the true performance of the Ferrari car."

Bob Bell kept reporting to Briatore about the car, a routine they had developed together at the Renault team.

Compared to those racing professionals or drivers who transitioned into management, he was initially just a small-time Italian hoodlum.

This "little hooligan" isn't a nickname; he really is one!
He was even imprisoned for fraud; he's definitely a villain.

"Bell, have you found the optimal engine output mode?"

Florentino didn't care about the other teams; he just wanted to know if Bob Bell had gotten the car sorted out.

"Through these two days of long-distance testing, I have collected detailed data, and improving the car's lap time by another second is no problem."

Bob Bell gave an affirmative answer, which is the source of Briatore's calm confidence.

He doesn't care at all that other race cars are faster, because through data collection and computer simulations, the TF110 race car can be even faster.

The team's current testing focus is more on matching the drivers' driving habits. Hua Bu is waiting to make the entire paddock take notice on the last day of winter testing!

(End of this chapter)