Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 215 Odeto's Selfish Motives
"Holy crap, second place in three practice sessions! Did Chen Xiangbei unleash his full potential?"

"No way, does that mean that finishing fifth in the opening match isn't Chen Xiangbei's limit?"

"Could it be that a Chinese racing legend, Bei, is about to emerge?"

A gasp of surprise rang out from the crowd. After all, Chen Xiangbei had been ranked outside the top ten in the previous two practice matches, but in the third practice match, which everyone thought had no hope, he unexpectedly rose to second place.

Chen Xiangbei was full of surprises!

However, the cheers didn't last long, and soon Australian and European fans at the scene raised objections.

"Do these Chinese guys even understand racing? Can practice session results even be considered?"

"Others train for three sessions to test their heavy-load, long-distance running, but only they go north to push for extreme lap speed rankings. Chinese newcomers are so vain!"

"It seems that Bei realized he couldn't get a good ranking, so he simply used the practice race to create some hype and attract attention."

"Whatever, let the driver go north and have his fun. The other drivers in the paddock won't give him any chance to overtake!"

The audience member's tone was full of disdain, but it also revealed a fact.

Regardless of whether Chen Xiangbei's words and actions aroused the hostility of some drivers in the paddock.

Or perhaps his performance in the opening race drew the attention of other drivers.

At least one thing is certain: Chen Xiangbei will face tougher defense and offense at the Australian Grand Prix, making the competition more intense and improving his ranking will not be so easy!

"Professor, Bei ran the second-fastest lap time of the entire race during the final stage of the third training session. What are your thoughts on this?"

The commentator, Reid, immediately asked Prost a question.

It's much more effective to leave professional matters to professionals to explain than to make unfounded pronouncements yourself.

"I think this is actually a bad sign."

"WHY?"

Red was surprised by Prost's answer.

From previous conversations, it's clear that the professor appreciates this new Chinese talent quite a bit; at least he doesn't seem to look down on him at all.

Now that driver Bei has achieved very good results in the third training session, he doesn't think it's a good sign.
"The teams in the third practice session were all conducting long-distance tests with heavy fuel loads or different tires; their goal was not to improve lap times."

"Bei made several stops to adjust his time, and finally achieved a time of 1 minute 25.314 seconds. It is clear that he cannot perform well in long-distance tests at the same time."

"According to rumors, the two HRT drivers are rivals at this race and will not share their setup data. It's as if Beijing has completely abandoned the race, focusing extremely much on qualifying setups. Is this a good sign?"

Prost gave his reasons, saying that the main competition is the only one that determines the absolute results and rankings, which the qualifying rounds simply cannot compare to.

Moreover, Chen Xiangbei's current lap time may not necessarily reflect his qualifying performance.

Keep in mind that during the practice sessions, the major teams hadn't even started pushing their limits yet.

As Chen Xiangbei advanced, Prost could sense that he was using all his strength.

Prost's commentary reached the HRT team's pit lane, where Lu Xiaoman pouted and said with some dissatisfaction, "Is Professor underestimating North? Their current lap times should be enough to get into Q3 in qualifying."

"uncertain."

Standing to the side, Mizutani Sho shook his head, his face showing no joy.

Or rather, the team's strategy team members remained remarkably calm in the face of Chen Xiangbei's second-fastest lap time in practice.

"why?"

"The engine can't handle the full power; monitoring data shows the cylinder pressure is above the redline."

"This kind of driving method can only be used for testing; it will definitely cause engine failure in qualifying."

Data analyst Sho Mizutani explained why the team's strategy group didn't celebrate.

Even if we take a step back and assume that the HRT team can go full power in qualifying, other teams can also go full power, and the big teams, who have the money to upgrade their power units, can even go overpower to try for the "god lap".

Achievements gained by squeezing the engine's lifespan are ultimately unsustainable.

"Mizutani, so you mean our qualifying results will be worse if we go north?"

Lu Xiaoman experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. She thought Chen Xiangbei had made a breakthrough, but after hearing Mizutani Sho's explanation, it seems that entering Q3 will still be very difficult.

"maybe."

Sho Mizutani shook his head again.

"The car's speed can't be broken, but Xiang Beijun's handling has improved this lap. No one can know in advance where his limit is!"

When he said this, Sho Mizutani's tone was full of amazement.

Despite the drastically different characteristics of the racing car upgrade kit, Chen Xiangbei was visibly adapting at a rapid pace.

Many people once thought that Chen Xiangbei's role model was Takuma Sato, who also had amazing talent but was held back by reality and was unable to receive systematic racing training at an early age.

It now appears that Chen Xiangbei's talent far surpasses that of Sato Takuma.

This speed of adaptation and learning can only be described as that of a prodigy.

After completing the return lap and returning to the team's pit garage, the crew members immediately surrounded Chen Xiangbei to help him leave the cockpit.

Taking off his helmet, the dense sweat on his face revealed the pressure Chen Xiangbei had endured during this lap.

"North, not bad speed."

Odeto came over, patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder, and praised him.

But then he immediately changed his tone and added, "But that's not enough."

"The increase in engine power cannot be applied to the qualifying stage. According to the comparison data, you did not widen the gap with Trulli in many corners."

"To get into Q3, we need to be even faster!"

Hearing Odette's words, the team's pit station strategy members looked somewhat surprised.

While Chen Xiangbei did not close the gap with Trulli at some corners, he was significantly faster than Trulli at many other corners. Otherwise, relying solely on the increased straight-line speed from the full-power engine would not have been enough to achieve second place overall.

The qualifying race will continue in the afternoon. If Odette puts pressure on Chen Xiangbei at this time, isn't he afraid that Chen Xiangbei might not be able to withstand it and cause a track accident?
Actually, if Chen Xiangbei hadn't achieved a respectable second-place finish in this lap, Odette wouldn't have said any of this.

The reason is simple: if you can't push the car to speed, you've lost control of it, and applying pressure becomes meaningless.

Only when a driver possesses potential can they translate pressure into action.

Whether Chen Xiangbei can withstand it or not is not within Odeto's consideration.

The "conservatism" he displayed in front of Briatore was merely a means to protect Chen Xiangbei, not expecting this profit-driven businessman to exploit him excessively. But if entering Q3 required that final push, even if it meant facing an abyss, Odette would not hesitate to kick Chen Xiangbei in the bud.

To be frank, drivers' results are all earned by risking their lives; those who can't withstand the pressure should be eliminated.

"I will."

Chen Xiangbei nodded in agreement without any questioning.

"Stay at noon to review the recordings from this round."

"noon?"

Upon hearing Odette's words, the test engineer standing nearby, Mazzola, raised an objection.

"Odto, after continuous high-intensity practice and qualifying, drivers need some time to relax and adjust their condition."

"You're going too far with what you're doing."

Indeed, there was only a lunch break between Saturday's practice session and qualifying session.

If Chen Xiangbei were to use the time to review the recordings, not only would he not be able to relax and rest, but even his mealtimes would be taken up.

Mazzola could understand Odette's desire for Chen Xiangbei to break into Q3, but in his opinion, it was clearly a bit too hasty.

Odeto did not respond to Mazzola's objection, but instead looked at Chen Xiangbei.

“Mazzola, I’m fine.”

Chen Xiangbei understood perfectly and gave the answer: compared to resting, he did need to seize the time to review the situation.

At the same time, Briatore came over and put his hand on Mazzola's shoulder, saying, "You have greatly underestimated the Chinese kid's endurance and hard work. He doesn't need any rest time."

The phrase "floral cloth" was said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

He had met many drivers over the years in the paddock, and Briatore once thought that Schumacher was the hardest working one.

Regardless of his achievements, Schumacher never missed a single training session or test drive; he was a driver who realized his talent through hard work.

It wasn't until Hua Bu met Chen Xiangbei that his perception changed.

The efforts of this young Chinese man have reached a level that can be described as "cruel" to himself.

Once he gets into a race car, he becomes a "race car machine"!
Since the team manager had already said that, Mazzola naturally couldn't say anything more.

With the crew members disbanding, Chen Xiangbei, along with Odeto, Hiroki Sawano, and others, went to the drivers' lounge, turned on the projector, and reviewed Chen Xiangbei's driving and route by referring to Trulli's and other historical drivers' qualifying videos.

"North, the APEX point of the T3 bend is not in the exact center. The steering wheel needs to be turned 4 degrees to the left to cut a corner line that is closer to a straight line."

"T5 and T6 are a series of right turns. If you make too many corrections during the line, you will lose at least 0.1 seconds of speed. You need to achieve perfect tracking braking."

"You were too slow at the T9 corner. Schumacher was going 209 km/h here in 04, and you were only going 193 km/h. That's a full 16 km/h difference in corner speed. I want to know what happened?"

Odette was extremely serious this time. Compared to Bahrain, a new track that has only been in operation for the past few years, he has a much richer experience and understanding of Albert Park, a track that has been in operation for more than a decade.

Often, neither race engineers nor strategy team members directly teach drivers how to drive.

At most, we can provide general tactical guidance or offer adjustment plans based on changes in various car data. The specific handling is up to the driver to make independent judgments.

The reason is simple: who in the world can teach an F1 driver how to drive?
To obtain a super license and become an F1 driver, aside from "superhumans" like Yuji Ide who were pushed into it, already means that one's driving skills are at the pinnacle among six billion people.

Even someone as strong as Schumacher or Senna wouldn't dare to offer guidance to their peers; at most, they would politely exchange pleasantries and learn from each other.

The same goes for Odette; Chen Xiangbei stopped giving specific instructions on the details of F3 races and the opening race.

This time, however, Odette has to scrutinize the details.

He had already discovered that Chen Xiangbei was too "unfamiliar" with the Albert Park circuit, and his proficiency was not comparable to that of the Bahrain circuit. He was completely in a state of learning by trial and error.

In the past, Chen Xiangbei often gave Odeto and the strategy team members the impression that he was self-taught.

At the Australian Grand Prix, Chen Xiangbei is showing more of the side of a normal driver. He is also a "mortal" and needs time to learn and improve.

"This corner is extremely slippery; if you go any faster, you'll go off the track."

Chen Xiangbei offered his own explanation.

"That reason isn't enough. Modern racing cars have much more advanced aerodynamics. You need to know why Schumacher was able to drive so fast."

Odette shook his head. Skidding is no excuse; F1 cars are always on the verge of going out of control.

He could understand a difference of one or two kilometers, but a speed difference of 16 kilometers per hour meant that Chen Xiangbei had performed very poorly on that curve.

"I try my best."

Chen Xiangbei gave a serious answer: compared to racing performance, experience is the hardest thing to acquire.

An F1 race typically covers a distance of just over 300 kilometers. Including practice and qualifying sessions, the distance can reach approximately 500 kilometers. Schumacher raced at the Albert Park circuit for at least ten years, meaning Chen Xiangbei has a 5000-kilometer gap in race distance compared to him.

5000 kilometers is enough for a new driver who has just obtained their license to become a qualified driver on the road.

How did Chen Xiangbei fully understand why Schumacher could drive so fast in just a short practice or race distance of one or two hundred kilometers?
"If you really don't know why Schumacher is so fast, then imitate him."

This time, Odeto didn't "make things difficult" for Chen Xiangbei and instead offered him a solution.

Imitation and learning are essential stages for a rising star, but once they become habits, it's easy to fall into misconceptions and create an insurmountable ceiling for oneself.

To paraphrase an old Chinese saying, "Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die!"

Odette has seen too many newcomers blindly imitate Senna or Schumacher's driving style, gradually losing their own unique characteristics.

Such a "clone" is destined to never become a top F1 driver.

This is why Odeto used to provide Chen Xiangbei with theoretical data to learn from, rather than having him focus on a specific driver. He was worried that newcomers to racing might go astray before developing their own style.

He made an exception today. The ranking competition was about to start in an hour, and there was no time for Chen Xiangbei to figure it out.

The difficulty of overtaking at the Albert Park circuit means that qualifying results often determine race results. Chen Xiangbei must make it into Q3 to have a chance to beat Trulli and score points.

Odette had initially opposed the competition within the team, but ultimately understood Briatore's intentions and philosophy, and acquiesced.

Since the team's strategy cannot be changed, and HRT has indeed shown competitiveness, and everyone has a selfish side, Odette must ensure that Chen Xiangbei wins this competition and obtains the number one driver position and resources.

The better a team performs, the more important its status and resources become.

If HRT can truly become a championship contender, Odette hopes to see Chen Xiangbei on the top podium, not Trulli!

(End of this chapter)