Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 202 I'm not a newbie!
"Turulli and Sutil had a track accident?"

Chen Xiangbei was genuinely surprised to hear Odette's order to enter the station.

Last year, these two nearly came to blows when their cars collided.

The opening match has only just begun, and they're already pulling another stunt?

Before Chen Xiangbei could answer the command, Odette's voice came one after another.

"Physical safety vehicles are deployed; don't miss the arrival at the station."

In F1 paddock, the "flag signaling" rules require cars to slow down when a yellow flag is displayed, and overtaking is not permitted.

If the race center determines that the driver cannot resolve the incident themselves and that staff must be dispatched, then a command will be sent to the team control console to deploy a "virtual safety car."

At this point, the race cars in the paddock will slow down to a reasonable range as required, roughly between 30% and 40%.

If the situation is serious and staff find that they cannot resolve it quickly upon arrival at the scene, a physical safety vehicle will be deployed to lead the way.

The biggest difference between the two is that the virtual safety car only ensures the spacing between all cars on the track by controlling the speed reasonably.

A minor accident will not disrupt the positional layout on the track.

When a physical safety car is deployed, it will collectively press down on the cars, causing all the race cars to gradually gather into a long line, which will put drivers who were previously in a significant lead at a disadvantage.

Imagine finally managing to pull ahead of your opponent by a few seconds, or even more than ten seconds. Then the safety car is deployed, forcing you to slow down and allowing the car behind to catch up, forcing you to return to the starting point after all your hard work.

If you're even unlucky enough to encounter a car behind you with updated tires, you might not even be able to keep your leading position...

However, the deployment of physical safety cars is a windfall for some drivers.

That was the driver who was about to pit for a tire change!
Under normal circumstances, the average speed on an F1 track is around 220 km/h, and the pit stop window takes about 22 seconds.

During the safety car period, the vehicle speed will be reduced to 100 km/h, which means that theoretically, about half the time can be saved, equivalent to only about 11 seconds.

11 seconds is enough to improve the finishing positions of the top drivers by three or four places if the gap is small!
"Is something wrong, Trulli?"

Chen Xiangbei countered with a question.

While the physical safety vehicle phase can generate profit for the company, it also means an increase in the accident level.

Even disregarding his status as Trulli's teammate, out of humanitarian considerations, one should at least ask.

"The buffer zone is big enough, so there's no problem. It's just that there are a lot of debris falling off the track."

The moment Odeto finished speaking, Briatore's voice came through the earpiece.

"OH~~! Something's wrong. Trulli and Sutil were shoving each other at the circuit. Looks like they're going to settle their score from last year?"

Hua Bu's tone and word choice were full of a "watching the show is better than anything" mentality, as if Trulli wasn't an HRT driver at all.

It's worth noting that Trulli was ranked in the top ten points zone, so this crash will have a significant impact on the team's performance.

Of course, it is precisely because of the significant impact that Briatore is pleased.

No team management can tolerate a driver who can't control their emotions and causes damage to their car, resulting in lost points.

In this way, the fabric will have a sufficient reason to settle personal scores and get rid of the "enemy" who is an eyesore!
Chen Xiangbei really didn't know how to describe Briatore's words and actions.

However, at this moment, he didn't have much energy to pay attention to Trulli. He drove the car into the pit lane and limited the speed to 80km/h with one click, while scanning the team logo above the pit lane to prevent the basic mistake of parking in the wrong spot.

Meanwhile, Liang Chi led his team of technicians, standing guard on both sides of the repair bay, ready to welcome the first official entry into the station in their professional careers.

During the simulation training, the technician team was able to reduce the average time for changing a tire to about 3.0 seconds.

Although it still doesn't meet the standard of 2.8 seconds for the flower cloth team, it can be described as qualified or even excellent for a "semi-new" team.

After all, not to mention this era, even in later generations, teams such as Sauber, Williams, and Haas often had an average pit stop time of around 3.5 seconds.

However, training is not the same as actual combat. Various track conditions and high levels of mental tension can affect the performance of the technicians.

Furthermore, F1 tire changes represent the ultimate expression of teamwork; any mistake can have far-reaching consequences.

There are over twenty people, and no one is allowed to make a mistake!

Watching Chen Xiangbei's race car approach from afar and then come to a precise stop in the parking space, each member of the mechanic team worked as swiftly as a clockwork mechanism, performing their assigned tasks.

But Lady Luck did not continue to favor Chen Xiangbei.

There was a problem with the coordination of the left front tire team, and the two people collided during the shifting process.

Upon seeing this scene, Huabu, who had been laughing and joking in the repair shop's P room, instantly turned extremely gloomy.

He can accept poor grades, but he can't accept a person who isn't good!

This isn't the first time the front left tire changing team has made a mistake.

The stopwatch kept ticking as the tire was being changed. When it reached 5.3 seconds, the green light above the parking space in the pit lane came on. Before the jack was fully lowered and the race car had even hit the ground, Chen Xiangbei had already stepped on the gas and started the tires spinning.

The moment it landed, a hissing sound of burning tires filled the air, and race car number 13 sped towards the pit lane like an arrow.

Just then, a yellow and black racing car appeared behind Chen Xiangbei. It was Renault driver Kubica, number 11!

Webber, whose power unit had a hidden problem, ultimately couldn't withstand Kubica's attack in his prime. The two switched positions a few seconds before the yellow flag was raised, and Webber took advantage of the situation to pit for a tire change.

Meanwhile, the HRT technicians' mistake in changing the tire made Kubica the biggest beneficiary. He closed the gap with Chen Xiangbei and was about to overtake him in the maintenance lane!

However, Chen Xiangbei dashed Kubica's hopes.

He saw the Renault race car coming in his rearview mirror, which is why he was so anxious to start the car early, saving time on shifting gears and starting again, and blocking Kubica's car at the last moment.

As it turns out, Chen Xiangbei's decision was correct.

The TF110, with a lead of less than half a meter, blocked the Renault R30, and its starting order remained unchanged.

Such an extreme stop at the station brought a sigh of relief to the HRT strategy team members. Only Briatore pressed the headset call button and gave the order to Odette in an extremely indifferent tone.

"Henry, who was in the left front tire changing group, was fired after this game."

To be honest, Briatore was already very dissatisfied when the front left tire change team made a mistake during the winter testing.

However, considering that most of the crew members were originally from the Super Aguri team, and that he was a newly appointed manager, Hua Bu gave Odtto some face and did not dwell on the issue too much.

Briatore cannot tolerate another mistake today.

Even Odette couldn't save him!
Odette's expression was very complicated upon hearing Briatore's instruction.

He was a member of the old team of Super Aria, and he went through the low period when the team disbanded, as well as the rebirth period from Mewtwo to HRT.

Now, to personally dismiss him is truly cruel.

"I will."

Ultimately, Odette did not plead for him; he knew that Briatore had actually given him one chance.

As mentioned at the beginning, if the crew members cannot improve themselves, it means they are not suitable to stay on the highest stage of racing, and they are letting down the drivers and the whole team for their hard work.

Often, the seemingly "cold-blooded and ruthless" teams are the ones that guarantee victory.

Just like Ferrari and Renault in the past, even the drivers were just pawns!
Two race cars drove onto the main track one after the other from the pit lane exit. The safety car had not yet left the track, and overtaking was still not allowed at this stage, which was a good opportunity to warm up the tires.

As the safety car pressed down on the cars, the distance between the race cars in the paddock continued to close, and Chen Xiangbei once again found himself behind Alonso's car.

However, during this scene, his attention was not on Alonso in front of him, but more on Kubica behind him.

Drivers have very keen intuition, which sounds mysterious, but Chen Xiangbei could genuinely "feel" Kubica's surging fighting spirit; he couldn't wait to launch an attack.

It took the staff quite a while to clear the track debris, and it wasn't until lap sixteen that they finished and waved the green flag to let the track through.

"North, the safety car is about to leave, watch out for the driver ahead starting!"

The convoy gave another instruction, reminding Chen Xiangbei to keep up with the pace of the car in front.

Often, during the time between the safety car leaving the tunnel and the race cars crossing the starting line again, the lead car will deliberately slow down and maneuver to slow down the other cars.

Then, by suddenly lifting the speed limit at a certain point in time, you can gain a slight advantage at the start and increase the distance between yourself and the car behind you.

Chen Xiangbei was a complete novice. He had only experienced static starts by watching the starting indicator lights and had never experienced a slow start like this.

If you're not careful, Kubica will seize the opportunity!

"clear."

Chen Xiangbei replied, his attention highly focused, his eyes fixed on Alonso in front of him.

As long as he showed any signs of accelerating, Chen Xiangbei would step on the gas to keep up, his reaction speed had always been his advantage!

As the safety car left the field, Vettel, who was in the front row, suddenly accelerated, followed by Massa, Hamilton, and others.

The top drivers' abilities are beyond doubt; none of them made the basic mistake of being overtaken during a dynamic start.

Soon after, Alonso floored the accelerator and started moving, and Chen Xiangbei followed with astonishing reaction speed. At nineteen, his body was in its peak adolescence, and he was in no way inferior to even the greatest drivers of all time. But what happened next was completely beyond Chen Xiangbei's expectations.

Alonso's acceleration wasn't linear; instead, it seemed like he "stuttered" for a moment, almost causing Chen Xiangbei to rear-end him!

Seeing this, Chen Xiangbei slammed on the brakes and then turned the steering wheel in an attempt to change lanes and overtake.

As a result, Alonso accelerated again, changed lanes, and blocked Chen Xiangbei's path. At the same time, Kubica seized the opportunity when Chen Xiangbei slowed down and blocked the car, and easily overtook him from the other side.

WHAT?

The sudden turn of events on the track caused members of the HRT team's strategy group to exclaim in surprise.

If it weren't for the Ferrari in front of him, Hiroki Sawano would have suspected that Renault had issued a "cross-team order" to its customer's team.

Alonso's maneuver clearly helped Kubica overtake!

"What's going on? Is Chen Xiangbei slow to react?"

"His acceleration seems a bit sluggish; maybe the gears aren't properly matched."

"They may not have experienced starting the car under pressure; novices lack experience."

"Even a newbie wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Definitely a rookie!"

The audience at the scene could only watch the footage of Chen Xiangbei being overtaken through the large screen broadcast above the track.

Due to limitations in clarity and distance, they couldn't clearly see the details of Alonso's "pause," and could only see that Chen Xiangbei was slower and was easily overtaken by Kubica.

Just like the famous saying goes, competitive sports only look at the result, not the process!
"North, do you sense the wickedness of people's hearts?"

Compared to the strategy team members, they were more indignant and felt sorry for Chen Xiangbei.

Briatore was used to this kind of scene.

He could understand Alonso's intention, which was to deliberately provoke Chen Xiangbei and Kubica into a tug-of-war, so that he could focus on creating distance and attacking the car ahead without distraction.

"Fortunately."

Faced with Chen Xiangbei's calm tone, Hua Bu asked with some surprise, "Aren't you angry?"

"This proves that in Alonso's mind, the pressure I put on him was greater than that on Kubica."

Briatore was stunned by Chen Xiangbei's reply.

He kept putting pressure on Chen Xiangbei, trying to test the psychological resilience limits of Chinese newcomers.

After all, for an F1 driver, the real showdown is no longer about driving skills, but about mental fortitude.

Everyone knows Rosberg is definitely worse than Hamilton.

But he managed to seize the fleeting opportunity of 16 years, defeat his seemingly invincible teammates, and win the world championship!
Chen Xiangbei's psychological resilience has exceeded Hua Bu's best prediction.

To use a popular Chinese internet phrase from later generations, Chinese guys have managed to "turn a funeral into a celebration."

"Very good, keep that confidence."

Briatore didn't say anything more; to some extent, he agreed with Chen Xiangbei's statement.

He discovered Alonso and also acted as his agent, so he knew Alonso's character very well.

Among the multi-time champions in the paddock, there are no gentlemen; Alonso is no exception, willing to do anything to win.

Although Chen Xiangbei's initial attack failed to overtake Alonso, it left a deep impression on him, proving he was far from being a rookie.

He was not afraid of Chen Xiangbei's attack, but he admitted that the speed and strength of the Chinese boy would cause him a lot of trouble and slow down his progress in catching up with the leaders and competing for the championship.

Deliberately blocking the newcomer's way of doing things isn't honorable, but it's very effective!
Chen Xiangbei calmed himself down, floored the accelerator, and relentlessly chased Kubica, trying to find an opportunity to overtake.

Often, a driver's skill level isn't necessarily determined by their results, but rather by their condition at the time.

Take, for example, the Red Bull Racing team's Pedrone. Who would have thought that a world runner-up driver, whose teammates were always fighting for pole position in Q3, would be eliminated in Q1 every time, and even occasionally finish at the bottom?

Compared to Rosberg's carelessness and Weber's engine failure.

Kubica was well prepared; he wouldn't give Chen Xiangbei any hope or chance, so much so that he wouldn't even let him catch the tail end!

It's important to understand that as the efficiency of aerodynamic components improves, the wake of an F1 car is not only a positive slingshot effect, but also has a reverse "turbulent" effect.

Once you enter the turbulence of the car in front, not only will you be unable to increase your speed, but it will also significantly affect the stability of the race car.

The difference between "wake" and "turbulence" is only one word, but the effects are completely different!
Kubica demonstrated top-level handling skills worthy of a championship contender, so powerful that it would leave most newcomers feeling hopeless.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiangbei is not an ordinary newcomer.

He didn't rush to use the wake to overtake; instead, he tried his best to stay close to Kubica and fight a protracted battle to maintain his lead.

Of the twenty-odd drivers in the F1 paddock, at most a few are genuine paid no-shows; the other dozen or so are no pushovers. The scenario of easily overtaking with slipstreams, as seen in lower-level formulas, is simply not possible.

If Kubica wants to disrupt the airflow, he will inevitably have to constantly change lanes, thus disrupting the "vacuum zone" created at the rear of the car.

An inexperienced novice would probably change lanes, fearing they'd be left behind.

Chen Xiangbei was completely unaffected; he maintained his lap time very steadily and did not even attempt to overtake.

"It's already 25 laps, the soft red tires are past their peak grip, isn't North going to make an attack yet?"

"What makes the Chinese think they can attack Kubica? Do they even have the ability?"

"Kubica is a Ferrari reserve driver; the two are not even in the same league."

"Go Kubica!"

Many spectators on the track stood up and cheered for Kubica.

Kubica has many fans in the paddock, partly because of his outstanding performance in recent years. He is considered to be the second most talented driver of his generation after Hamilton, and on par with Rosberg and Vettel in the title race.

On the other hand, his driving style is very aggressive, which can bring speed and passion to car fans!
In some ways, he is more like Senna's successor than Massa, the Brazilian.

Unlike the cheers and jubilation of the audience, Kubica's situation was far from as good as it seemed, and he felt a lot of pressure!

Chen Xiangbei is too steady, which is completely different from the adventurous and aggressive description in the data, and even more so from his crazy offensive performance in the first half of the game.

Kubica originally intended to use the lane change to provoke Chen Xiangbei's offensive desire and make him increasingly anxious.

To everyone's surprise, the other party remained as steady as a mountain!

Twenty-six laps, twenty-seven laps...

The two continued to drive like a "train" on the track, with no offensive or defensive maneuvers taking place.

However, the soft red tires have reached the limit of their lifespan after running this many laps.

"Kubica, prepare to pit for a tire change."

The Renault team gave instructions that Kubica's tires were about to give out.

"Team leader, the North is chasing us too closely. We might get undercut when we enter the station."

Chen Xiangbei maintained a distance of about 0.5 seconds from Kubica, and couldn't widen the gap at all.

The HRT team has had a tire change failure before, so we can't pin our hopes on a second one.

If Chen Xiangbei changes tires 0.5 seconds faster when entering the pit, he will be ahead of Kubica when exiting.

"You can't keep going. Your speed has dropped too much, and the North is very likely to launch an attack."

Renault team principal Boullier pointed out that Kubica's lap time had slowed by 0.8 seconds as his tires wore out.

"Team leader, I..."

Kubica pressed the call button, just wanting to hold on a little longer.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the black and orange race car in the rearview mirror, gradually approaching and taking up the entire mirror before disappearing from it!
After following him for sixteen laps, Chen Xiangbei finally got his chance and launched a fatal attack.

Upon seeing the HRT13 race car appear on the left, Kubica reacted quickly, decisively changing lanes and accelerating to try and block Chen Xiangbei's overtaking route.

Chen Xiangbei made a feint; he didn't intend to take the inside overtaking lane. Instead, he lightly tapped the brakes and immediately changed lanes to the right, using the superior grip of his tires to overtake directly from the right outside.

Almost simultaneously, Kubica decided to use the "dragon-drawing" maneuver to stop the car.

But just because Chen Xiangbei can grip the ground doesn't mean that Kubica, whose tires are worn out, can too.

The series of rapid lane changes, coupled with the sudden braking into the corner, resulted in a muffled "bang" as rubber fragments flew off the right rear tire, causing the entire race car to immediately lose control and enter a spin state.

Kubica frantically corrected the steering wheel, using the track's run-off area to slow down.

In the last shot before the car came to a stop, Kubica saw the taillights of car number 13 disappearing into the distance.

Chen Xiangbei did not resort to any tricks or opportunism; he defeated the Polish racing prodigy Kubica through sheer strength!
(End of this chapter)