Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 209 Those Who Aren't Envied Are Mediocre
Faced with Briatore's resolute words, everyone in the conference room fell silent.

Despite his often smiling, seemingly carefree and easy-going demeanor, Hua Bu is a formidable figure.

In fact, when he really wants to make a decision, he is extremely ruthless!

It even went so far as to be unreasonable.

Trulli had been kicked once before, and he knew very well that there was no room for negotiation.

More importantly, Ferrari's second-hand wind tunnel has been fully tested, leaving them without the resources to compete with Briatore.

The Italian scoundrel has a history of betraying his promises; don't expect him to keep them.

“Sott, stop arguing, I accept the old kit.”

Trulli shook his head at the indignant race engineer.

Then he turned his gaze to Chen Xiangbei and said, "I didn't finish that lap due to engine trouble during the winter testing phase, but the Australian Grand Prix can continue."

"If I lose this time, you will be the number one driver."

Just as Odette said at the club, drivers' grudges and conflicts of interest should be resolved on the track.

Trulli hopes to have a showdown with Chen Xiangbei!
"it is good."

Without saying much, Chen Xiangbei simply nodded.

To some extent, this is not a fair matchup, as upgraded kits often have a speed advantage over older kits.

However, his contact with Briatore subtly changed some of Chen Xiangbei's "naive" ideas. He realized that there is no absolute fairness in the F1 paddock, only absolute victory.

Instead of pressuring Trulli through team management to force him into becoming the second driver, he gave Trulli a chance to compete and accept defeat gracefully, which was already an extra act of fairness.

"Thank you."

Trulli thanked him with mixed feelings.

If his past "challenge" to Chen Xiangbei carried a sense of seniority's arrogance and disdain for newcomers, then...

Now Trulli has some respect for Chen Xiangbei.

The Chinese newcomer is a true driver, the kind that deserves respect.

After saying that, Trulli walked out of the meeting room.

With the upgrade kit issue resolved, the next problem the HRT fleet needs to address is "production ramp-up".

Whether it's the power unit, the chassis, or even the body shell, everything needs to be mass-produced to meet the fleet's needs.

After all, the damage and failure rate of cars in this era is much higher than it would be a decade or so later. If Chen Xiangbei and Trulli both get stuck on the wall, one of them will be forced to stop racing due to a lack of spare parts.

This was clearly unacceptable to the entire HRT team, whose ambitions had already been ignited.

The team is operating at full speed, and Chen Xiangbei, in addition to regular training, will also take time to follow behind design director Bob Bell and participate in the car development project as much as possible.

Chen Xiangbei's idol in the racing world in his previous life was Schumacher. Many people know that the German racing king is exceptionally skilled, but few know that he is one of the few drivers who can make a huge contribution to the development of racing cars.

Furthermore, through his participation and feedback, Schumacher gained an extremely thorough understanding of every detail of the race car, thus achieving true unity between man and machine.

Chen Xiangbei hopes he can become a driver like that!

After a short week or so, Chen Xiangbei and his strategy team members gathered and set off for Australia.

This time, however, Chief Test Engineer Mazzola was also present. He would collect effective data on the upgrade kits in the "real-world" testing and then report it back to the team headquarters for optimization or improvement.

Compared to the changeover during the opening match, the crew members were clearly much more relaxed this time, chatting and laughing throughout the journey.

As for Chen Xiangbei, he looked out the porthole at London, which was becoming smaller and smaller, and was filled with anticipation for the upcoming matches.

The fifth-place finish in Bahrain was significant for Chen Xiangbei not only because it was a point earned in his debut, but also because it helped him overcome his obsession.

The past weakness of Chinese motorsports, coupled with his own failure to even reach the F1 paddock in his previous life, left Chen Xiangbei with a subconscious sense of psychological disadvantage when facing the pinnacle of motorsports and those drivers who could be described as "gods".

Can I really defeat the "gods"?

The Bahrain Grand Prix shattered Chen Xiangbei's perception of the aura surrounding F1 drivers.

They are not invincible, and I can become the strongest!
After a flight of nearly twenty hours, the convoy's chartered plane slowly landed at Melbourne's international airport.

Chen Xiangbei had never been to Australia before, so he was relatively unfamiliar with the country. Almost all the information he received came from the internet, and his impression of Australia from his previous life was not very good.

However, he came to compete, not to experience local customs and culture, so these things are not important.

As a major international sporting event, the F1 Grand Prix requires airports to set up a dedicated arrival channel to facilitate media photography and allow fans to get up close, without disrupting normal passenger travel.

As Chen Xiangbei emerged from the passageway, he immediately saw a massive crowd of people, a scene reminiscent of Bahrain International Airport, where fans and car enthusiasts gathered to welcome him.

However, what happened next was very different from the scene in Bahrain. In addition to cheers from fans, Chen Xiangbei was greeted with a lot of insults and provocations!
Rosberg's post-race accusations and Kovalainen's clubhouse conflict have, over the past week, become major headlines in the motorsport world, with many expressing dissatisfaction with Chen Xiangbei's recklessness and arrogance.

A mere fifth place in his debut, does he really think he's someone special?

The anti-China atmosphere in Australia, in particular, amplified the hostility towards Chen Xiangbei.

So much so that when the HRT team members appeared, the crowd instantly split into two camps.

Chen Xiangbei's fans cheered wildly for him!

"Heading north, keep going, strive to reach the podium at this race!"

"Chen Xiangbei, let the outside world experience the strength of Chinese drivers!"

"Bei, the Chinese racing god, now this title is well-deserved. We're waiting for you to become the world's racing god!"

The supporters were far more excited than those in Bahrain. After all, at that time, they were more supportive of Chen Xiangbei from the perspective of their own countrymen and their own countrymen, and they didn't really have much confidence in whether he could achieve results.

Chen Xiangbei's performance in Bahrain demonstrated a level of skill that went beyond simply scoring points, giving people hope of reaching the podium.

Chinese newcomers can also become top drivers in the F1 paddock!

Originally, those car enthusiasts who disliked Chen Xiangbei were only watching coldly, considering the impact and dignity.

Now, I can't stand hearing these "brainless fans" wildly praising things, even bringing up the world's best drivers.

"The Chinese guy is still dreaming of standing on the podium. He'll be lucky if he can finish this race."

"Do you really think that the 'torpedo' method can scare F1 drivers? If the Chinese do it again, they will definitely be knocked off the track."

"Get out of here! Drivers without sportsmanship don't deserve to stay in the paddock!"

"Not content with just bluffing against Raikkonen, he actually dared to humiliate her in a bar. Kovalainen will show you what a Finnish driver is all about!"

There was a time when Chen Xiangbei was on a lower-level Formula racing track, and no one would stand up for him in the face of such headwinds.

Or perhaps, the voices of support were far too small.

But it's different now.

Even though they were in Australia, a country known for its "away" ground and rife with insults, the voices of rebuttal were still strong.

"FUCK YOU, you won by your own ability, what do you mean by lacking sportsmanship?"

"Kovalainen doesn't even dare to challenge Chen Xiangbei. Let him see his taillights first, okay?"

"Chinese drivers can not only stand on the podium, but one day they can also win races. We'll wait and see!"

"Any driver who's got the guts to try and take on the 'torpedo' from the north, or shut up if they're not!"

Arrogant responses abound; the kind of driver you have determines the kind of fans you attract.

It's a joke to expect supporters of a Chinese young man who outwardly displays arrogance and flamboyance, regardless of whether this is his true nature, to also expect them to be low-key and tolerant.

Just like Verstappen's fans, they never criticize the "torpedo" driving style.

And to some extent, the public image that Chen Xiangbei cultivated has influenced many Chinese car enthusiasts.

Having abandoned timidity and disregarded negative consequences, they can now freely and arrogantly express their innermost thoughts, revealing their innate fighting spirit.

If even the idols weren't scared, what do the fans have to be afraid of?

If you really run into a tough situation, just go and attack my idol...

Faced with these voices of support, Chen Xiangbei raised his fist with a smile.

This move undoubtedly added fuel to the fire, fueling the fervor of supporters and intensifying the shouting and friction between the two camps in the arrival hall.

Seeing that the situation was escalating, airport security and event staff canceled the brief photo and autograph session and arranged for Chen Xiangbei to get into a car and leave through another VIP channel.

As they boarded the shuttle bus, A-Yong said excitedly, "Brother Bei, that was fucking awesome! We finally don't have to swallow our pride anymore, and we can fight back without restraint."

Cold words and ridicule are nothing to worry about; what matters is being evenly matched.

"It was great, but I expect there will be more negative public opinion if we go north."

Liang Chi replied with a hint of helplessness, admitting that he was truly falling behind in the world of young people.

"Liang, a driver who isn't envied is mediocre!"

"Think about Schumacher and Alonso, their early reputations were all villains."

"Isn't it exciting when the villainous driver wins?"

Briatore was very excited; he had once been the biggest villain and bad guy in the paddock.

Chen Xiangbei's current development in this direction aligns well with the concept of "birds of a feather flock together" in the floral fabric industry.

How could an upright gentleman possibly collude with a wicked person?

Liang Chi could only shake his head helplessly at Briatore's views.

He is, after all, a veteran of China's motorsports industry, and while he can understand many of the different viewpoints, he finds them difficult to accept. From a traditional Chinese perspective, he highly values ​​winning people over through virtue.

Of course, just as the old saying goes, "seek common ground while reserving differences," Liang Chi also understands that in the dog-eat-dog world of F1, "good people" often have no room to survive.

Even Kimi Räikkönen's success often relied on the strong Finnish motorsport foundation he had built.

This icy and snowy country produces almost as many top-level drivers as the UK!

The discussion on the bus didn't last long. After a brief period of excitement, everyone quickly succumbed to the fatigue of the journey.

The flight, which lasted about twenty hours, was not short, and with the added effect of jet lag, even Chen Xiangbei was dozing off while leaning back in his seat.

After a drive of about an hour, the shuttle bus stopped at the hotel next to the racetrack.

The HRT team members responsible for the relocation had already moved in, but they were all standing at the gate to greet them.

This move serves to demonstrate team unity.

On the other hand, Chen Xiang's performance at the North Bahrain station completely won their approval.

That's how competitive sports are; without skill, it's hard for a driver to earn respect.

After checking into the hotel, Chen Xiangbei didn't rush into training this time. Instead, he took a shower, slept well to adjust to the time difference, and allowed his physical strength to recover to a good state.

The next day was Wednesday, which was theoretically the drivers' free time. However, Chen Xiangbei couldn't stay in the hotel, so he went to the Albert Park circuit to help the team set up the pit garage and assemble the race cars. At the same time, he could also observe the track environment up close.

It's important to know that in the pit area of ​​the racetrack, each pit garage is a bare shell when not racing. Depending on the type of race, each team then assembles and builds it themselves.

This is not as simple as setting up a temporary house, placing equipment, and installing a few monitoring screens.

The F1 pit stop framework is just the most basic thing; the real challenge lies in connecting and wiring various devices, and ensuring the absolute stability of data and signals!
Putting aside the issue of quantity, the weight of the computers and cables alone is an astonishing several tons.

Of course, everyone has their own expertise, and as a driver, Chen Xiangbei is more involved in race car assembly.

The No. 13 race car was just a bare chassis parked in the parking space, with the body shell and various aerodynamic components placed aside.

During the assembly process, Liang Chi and other technicians also had to inspect various parts.

F1 car maintenance is completely different from the "maintenance" that the public is familiar with; it can almost be regarded as a major overhaul that disassembles each unit into parts!

Take the power unit as an example. Every time it is overhauled, the piston, connecting rod, bearing and other components need to be completely disassembled. Then the cylinder is inspected for flaws using equipment to prevent any defects from affecting the engine and causing it to explode during the race.

The reason for such strict requirements is that, as a car model born purely for racing on this planet, it needs to squeeze power to the extreme while minimizing weight.

Having both of these aspects is perfectly acceptable in F1 racing.

Research and development designers had to make the engine cylinder walls very thin and use various lightweight materials.

There's a famous saying that describes the ultimate skill of a racer: "walking on the edge of losing control."

Only by doing this can you fully unlock the potential of the track.

There's a famous saying in the paddock about racing: "The best F1 car in the world is the one that blows up the engine the moment it crosses the finish line!"

That's right, only when the engine blows up after crossing the finish line can you prove that you've squeezed every last drop of performance out of this engine.

Otherwise, it would mean that there is still a margin in the power unit.

Just as Chen Xiangbei and Liang Chi's team of technicians were assembling the equipment, test engineer Mazzola also arrived from his hotel.

When he saw Chen Xiangbei, his expression was one of great surprise.

Mazzola was originally a member of the Ferrari team. After the second-hand wind tunnel in Maranello was sold to the HRT team, he participated in the assembly as an expatriate engineer and eventually joined the HRT team at the invitation of Bob Bell.

It can be said that Mazzola had no prior contact with Chen Xiangbei, and all his knowledge of him came from introductions by team members and media news.

He learned from his colleagues that Chen Xiangbei worked very hard and maintained a high-intensity training regimen every day.

Mazzola just didn't expect that Chen Xiangbei would also be involved in the race car assembly.

In that instant, he seemed to see the shadow of Schumacher.

Of the twenty drivers in the paddock, only Schumacher would accompany the team engineers to complete the assembly and tuning of the car.

Chen Xiangbei naturally noticed the other party as well. He stood up and asked, "Mazzola, the upgraded kit is very different from the old kit. Could you please explain its features?"

Chen Xiangbei had actually read the materials, but compared to those few simple text descriptions, he preferred to communicate directly with the engineers.

"OK, no problem."

Mazzola nodded; he admired this kind of hard-working driver.

"The aerodynamic upgrades to the TF110 race car this time mainly focus on the front flaps and rear wing."

"The front flaps have been modified to improve their adjustability, taking into account the design of the Mercedes W01 race car, mainly to improve the car's understeer problem in corners."

Chen Xiangbei had already provided feedback to the team regarding the understeer issue during the winter testing phase. However, the aerodynamic layout of F1 cars is too complex, and often a change in one part affects the whole, meaning that differences in research and development directions meant that the problem could not be completely eradicated.

Just like how Red Bull racing cars are known for their extreme oversteer, the team couldn't solve the problem; all they could do was try to improve it as much as possible.

However, judging from the results, it seems to have been of little use.

This era belonged to the era of "air-powered vehicles," which, simply put, meant the application of aerodynamics was entirely concentrated on aerodynamic components, rather than the chassis playing a significant role as in later eras.

This means that it is relatively much easier to cure completely.

After all, modifying both the aerodynamic kit and the racing chassis is equivalent to completely rebuilding the entire car.

After introducing the upgraded features of the front flaps, Mazzola pointed to the rear wing and said, "We referenced the rear wing design of the McLaren team in the last race and created the same stall wing. This reduces the downforce provided by the airflow at the rear, thereby increasing the top speed on long straights and further alleviating understeer."

In essence, F1 car development is a process of mutual learning and "copying" among various teams.

Last year, Brawn GP's innovative double diffuser technology quickly spread after just a few races, and all the teams started using it.

This year, the speed of "copying" has obviously increased significantly. In particular, Chen Xiangbei pointed out the effectiveness of McLaren's "F duct" and stall wing, and even gave the team a direction for research and development.

Advanced experience is right in front of us, so let's just copy it first!

After explaining the characteristics, Mazzola added, "However, the stall wing has not yet undergone full wind tunnel testing, nor has it been simulated using a full-size model. Its specific effects remain to be seen."

"In addition, the McLaren race car's stall wing works in conjunction with the F duct. We have not yet been able to decipher the airflow guidance channels of the car body, so the extent of this impact is also questionable."

There was no situation where only good news was reported and bad news was kept secret; Mazzola told Chen Xiangbei about all the pros and cons.

In the era of electric vehicles, it was easy to copy aerodynamic kits, since there was no way to hide them. As long as you could take a high-definition photo, you could replicate them one-to-one.

Unlike later ground effect vehicles, the aerodynamic design of the chassis is not visible unless a serious accident occurs and the race car is lifted up.

The same applies to the F-duct; without disassembling the McLaren race car's shell, one cannot know what its internal structure is like.

"Plagiarism" can only copy the appearance; it takes time to truly understand the essence.

"I see."

Chen Xiangbei nodded without saying anything more.

He knew very well that upgrade kits were designed that way, and the correct answer could only be determined by the driver's verification.

After completing the car assembly, Chen Xiangbei didn't stay in the pit garage for long. Instead, he went to the track alone to explore it, essentially doing a track walk in advance.

Albert Park Circuit, as its name suggests, is not a full-weather professional circuit, but a "semi-street" circuit temporarily converted from a park section.

Normally, Albert Park doesn't resemble a racetrack at all; it's just a lakeside road where ordinary people can drive around in their cars, enjoy the scenery, and feel the lake breeze.

Every year during the Grand Prix season, Albert Park undergoes a major renovation, with even the pit lanes and race command center being converted from the sports center.

However, compared to ordinary streets, the Albert Park circuit is much wider and has grass to provide a buffer zone.

However, this is only relative. The Albert Park circuit still has characteristics such as narrowness, small run-off areas, special road surface, and low margin for error.

This poses a particularly serious challenge for novice drivers like Chen Xiangbei who have never driven before.

The moment Chen Xiangbei stepped onto the track, the first thing that caught his eye was the "smooth and bright" surface, which meant that Albert Park had been repaved with asphalt this year.

New asphalt is a double-edged sword for racing cars. The advantage is that it makes the car much smoother, so there is no need to worry about bumps and knocks on the chassis or wear and tear on the wooden blocks of the floor.

The downside is that grip will be severely reduced in the first year, and combined with the high lateral load of the track, the requirements for tire management are extremely high!
As Chen Xiangbei scanned the edges and corners of the track, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure – Trulli was also there.

Since agreeing to settle their differences at the Australian Grand Prix, the two have entered a competitive mode, reverting to their previous state of keeping to themselves and not even exchanging a word with each other on ordinary days.

Chen Xiangbei saw Trulli, and Trulli naturally saw him too.

After a moment's hesitation, Trulli finally approached and asked, "Are you driving on the track?"

"I guess so, let's take a look beforehand."

"This track is not easy to drive on."

Trulli replied quietly.

The two sides will not share data at this station, which means they will have to figure out the track and tune the cars themselves.

"Where is it not good to run?"

Although the two are competitors, Chen Xiangbei will not let go of any opportunity to ask for advice.

Whether to ask or not is one's own business; whether to answer or not is Trulli's business.

Just as Bahrain's Setruli "mocked" Chen Xiangbei for being a newbie, Chen Xiangbei readily admitted it.

Humbly seeking advice is the only way for a driver to improve.

You can let outsiders think you're arrogant, but you can't let yourself truly be arrogant!

(End of this chapter)