Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 220 is fulfilling its past boasts.
Looking at Kubica, who had been left behind, Chen Xiangbei's expression remained cold, much like that of a heartless killer!
Through three practice sessions and by learning from and imitating top drivers like Schumacher, Chen Xiangbei repeatedly "communicated" with the race car, challenging the limits of the track.

His efforts and dedication paid off; he even managed to gain a thorough understanding of Kubica.

With such an absolute advantage, Chen Xiangbei had no idea how he could lose!
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Bei's cornering technique and overtaking line selection were both excellent!"

"His double lane change and acceleration in the corner, his ability to lure Kubica into a strong defense, and his precise finding of the dynamic apex point all exceeded the standard of a rookie driver's offensive and defensive capabilities, and were no less than those once-famous paddock prodigies."

"Bei's victory over Kubica once again proves his ability to establish himself in the paddock!"

This time, it wasn't commentator Reid who spoke first, but guest Prost sitting next to him.

As a four-time F1 champion, no one in the paddock besides Schumacher can claim to be more professional than him.

Prost would say without exaggeration that among the rookies who have entered the F1 paddock in the last decade, very few can perform the kind of cornering control that Chen Xiangbei just showed.

Considering that Chen Xiangbei is still a Chinese driver with almost no karting training experience, Prost could not find a more suitable word to describe him than "exceptionally talented".

In the past, the media and the team's publicity often linked Chen Xiangbei with Raikkonen, but Prost dismissed this as a marketing tactic by Briatore.

He now has a feeling that, marketing aside, Chen Xiangbei might actually have the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with Raikkonen.

At the very least, a mediocre marketing driver could not possibly defeat Kubica a second time!
"What happened? Kubica was overtaken so easily?"

"It's unbelievable! Kubica could show championship-contending ability driving a Sauber, and now that he's joined Renault, he can't even outrun an HRT?"

"I knew Chen Xiangbei was strong, but I didn't expect him to be this good. He might really become a legendary racing driver!"

"As expected of the super villain Bei, I ask you, who else dares to challenge me!"

Chen Xiangbei's fans in the stands were already in an uproar at this scene.

Overtaking in the race involves various objective factors, such as different team strategies, tire compounds, setup biases, and traffic conditions. It's difficult to say that the two drivers are in a relatively fair situation.

However, Kubica's proactive provocation in qualifying meant that he was ready to attack, and that his setup, tires, and even the driver were full of fighting spirit.

Kubica couldn't find any reason to lose in this situation!

Chen Xiangbei is gradually fulfilling his past boasts; he wants to become the strongest driver in the F1 paddock!

Inside the HRT vehicle maintenance depot, the entire crew erupted in thunderous cheers.

Briatore, who is usually jovial, and Odette, who is usually serious, both joined the celebration, their excitement no less than that of Chen Xiangbei, who was in fifth place in the race.

There are two reasons why he is so happy. The first is that this confrontation with Kubica means that Chen Xiangbei has fully adapted to the characteristics of the upgraded kit and he has mastered the oversteerable TF110 race car!

Secondly, this one-on-one victory will completely build Chen Xiangbei's confidence.

The problem with rookie drivers being arrogant is never the issue; the problem is when they're not arrogant enough, or when they're just putting on a brave front but are actually weak inside.

In the 60 years since the founding of Formula 1, there has been no shortage of drivers with outstanding talent in lower-level formula racing.

However, very few can stand firm in the paddock and achieve good results.

In the vast majority of cases, the phenomenon of "the wasted potential" has occurred.

There are many factors that contribute to a poor performance, including sponsorship, atmosphere, driving skills, and even luck.

Among them, the point of having a broken Dao heart definitely ranks among the top!
Many rookie drivers cannot accept the gap between their dominant performance and their lack of competitiveness in the F1 paddock.

Or, if you perform poorly, make mistakes, and are ridiculed by everyone, you may fall into a vicious cycle from which you can no longer adjust your mindset.

From Odeto's and others' perspective, Chen Xiangbei is under a lot of pressure and may be at a critical point.

If Chen Xiangbei loses his one-on-one match against Kubica, it might shatter his tough stance and plunge him into self-doubt.

After all, the Chinese lad is universally condemned outside the paddock and is considered public enemy number one within the paddock.

Chen Xiangbei won, and won cleanly against a championship-caliber driver. The psychological benefits were immeasurable, and he might build an unbreakable mental defense, becoming full of confidence in his driving skills.

The so-called "champion's look" is often an outward manifestation of this confident temperament.

Of course, after the celebration, Odeto still gave the order after calming down.

"North, look for an opportunity to push the flying lap; there's no time left in the third quarter."

The third practice session lasted only ten minutes, just enough for the driver to complete two flying laps.

Chen Xiangbei had already wasted his first flying lap in the battle with Kubica, and he needed to cool down his braking system as soon as possible to complete the last lap.

“COPY.”

After giving a brief reply, Chen Xiangbei slowed down and began his cooling process.

In contrast to the jubilation of the HRT team, the entire Renault team was met with a deathly silence.

Team leader Buril had considered countless ways and possibilities for Kubica to get revenge, but he never imagined that he would lose!

Kubica was poached from Sauber by Renault at great expense, with the intention of developing him into the core of the team and the next Alonso.

To achieve this goal, the team management at the time did not hesitate to give up Chen Xiangbei and was only willing to give him a contract as a third driver.

Reality proved to Brill that the carefully selected core of the team could not outrun the abandoned Chinese newcomers.

To be honest, even now, Burrell is still in shock!
"Team leader, we need to comfort Kubica and help him adjust his mindset to finish this qualifying race."

Seeing that Burrell was silent, the athletic manager Nelson, who was standing next to him, gave him a reminder.

Now is not the time to discuss winning or losing; we need to recover our "losses" from the qualifying rounds.

Upon hearing Nelson's reminder, Burrell took a deep breath and then pressed the voice call button on his headset.

"Kubica, that was just an accident. Get back into form and run the qualifying race."

"A driver's career is never about overtaking, but about who has the last laugh."

Brill is absolutely right. Both Senna and Schumacher have stumbled, and Verstappen was kept in check by Hamilton for several years.

What's more, a provocative overtaking maneuver in qualifying?
Kubica did not respond to the team leader's words of comfort; he could only be seen slowing down and cooling off on the monitor screen.

Faced with this situation, Nelson said with a grave expression, "It seems that this defeat has been a bigger blow to Kubica than we imagined."

"Perhaps." "But I believe Kubica will adjust quickly."

Buril's expression was cold. Kubica was neither a rookie nor a fragile person.

As a driver with the ability to compete for the championship, he naturally needs to have the mental fortitude to do so. If he can be discouraged by such a small setback, then he is not worthy of coveting the world championship title at the top of the pyramid!
Just as Burlier had predicted, Kubica recovered from his defeat after only a few turns, though the shock lingered in his mind.

He couldn't understand how a country with no racing background and no drivers with years of experience in lower-level formula racing could produce a top-level formula driver like Chen Xiangbei.

Can talent really bridge the gap of years of professional training?

No one could give Kubica the answer, and Chen Xiangbei was already back to his racing laps.

Traffic on the track is becoming increasingly tense. All ten cars have left the pits, hoping to take advantage of the best grip conditions in the final moments before the end of qualifying to secure a good starting position.

The lap time leaderboard on the track's big screen refreshed almost every ten seconds. The attention of the spectators in the stands was no longer on Chen Xiangbei and Kubica; their eyes were fixed on the lap time leaderboard, wondering who would take pole position at the Australian Grand Prix!

Suddenly, thunderous applause erupted in the paddock as Vettel of Red Bull Racing broke Schumacher's six-year-old track record with a lap time of 1 minute 23.919 seconds, taking the fastest lap at Albert Park.

If no one surpasses Vettel, this will be his second pole position of the new season, achieving a double pole position!
Soon their biggest rival, Alonso, appeared. Ferrari's speed was mediocre at this race, and they only qualified fourth.

Vettel's teammate Webber's name jumped up to second place.

Ferrari's Massa was slower in qualifying than in the opening race, but still finished sixth on the final flying lap.

Mercedes legend Michael Schumacher defended his honor at this race, defeating his teammate Nico Rosberg to finish fifth, while Rosberg finished seventh.

Currently, Hamilton, Trulli, Kubica, and Chen Xiangbei are the only three players in the top ten who haven't yet achieved results.

Trulli was the first to cross the finish line, finishing eighth, which is basically the same as his best performance in practice.

However, without using upgrade kits and facing opponents who had mostly made minor upgrades, Trulli's improved performance compared to the opening race is enough to prove that he performed well and squeezed out the full performance of the car!

Hamilton and Chen Xiangbei crossed the finish line one after the other. The moment the TF110 car crossed the starting line, Chen Xiangbei saw the fans in the stands stand up and wave wildly towards the track.

[Am I ranked very well?]

Chen Xiangbei didn't know whether this shocking scene was caused by him or by Hamilton.

With this question in mind, he pressed the voice call button on the steering wheel.

"Odette, what are my qualifying positions compared to Hamilton?"

"Hamilton clocked a time of 1 minute 23.883 seconds, breaking the track record and taking pole position."

"As for you, with a time of 1 minute 25.115 seconds, you rank ninth."

Odette calmly answered the question about the results, showing neither disappointment nor surprise.

He knew very well that with half the push already done and a battle of wits with Kubica underway, Chen Xiangbei's tire wear and other indicators meant he couldn't reach the car's optimal condition, so it was normal that he couldn't achieve a very good result.

Relatively speaking, a ninth-place finish in Q3 is acceptable to the team.

Hamilton in pole position?
Chen Xiangbei was genuinely surprised by Odette's answer.

He wasn't surprised by his qualifying result. Oversteer is always a double-edged sword. Once the tires are worn out or the brakes have faded, the corrections in the corners become abrupt, thus affecting the overall lap time.

However, if Chen Xiangbei had to choose again, he would still accept Kubica's challenge!

What really surprised Chen Xiangbei was that, if his memory served him right, the pole position for the Australian Grand Prix should have been held by Vettel of Red Bull Racing, but now it had become Hamilton.

Although Chen Xiangbei's entry into the F1 paddock was already a catalyst for changing history, it did not affect the top rankings in the opening race.

This change in pole position has completely derailed the Australian Grand Prix from its historical trajectory.

Just as Chen Xiangbei was lost in thought, Odette's voice came through the earphones again.

Kubica is ranked tenth.

Is it the tenth?

Given Kubica's ability and performance, the fact that he fell behind the two HRT drivers in his Renault car undoubtedly indicates that his form and performance were affected.

Absolute confidence is very important for a driver!

As Kubica sprinted across the finish line, the countdown for the third qualifying quarter also came to an end.

Looking at the complete lap time rankings, Reid began his closing remarks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's congratulate McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, who not only secured pole position in qualifying but also broke the record held by Schumacher at Albert Park."

"Is this youngest world champion in history going to pass the crown to the returning Schumacher?"

"Furthermore, the Chinese driver Bei, who surprised everyone during qualifying, ultimately had a somewhat disappointing result. Although it's quite good for a rookie to finish ninth, would his qualifying result have been better if he hadn't had the challenge with Kubica?"

"To be honest, I'm really curious whether driver Bei can replicate his amazing performance in the opening race in the main race?"

Commentator Reid specifically mentioned Chen Xiangbei, and indeed this newcomer from China has brought a lot of freshness to the paddock.

"Chen Xiangbei will definitely replicate the miracle!"

"That's right, I believe in Chen Xiangbei, he has the ability!"

"Go for it, driver Bei! Ninth place in qualifying will definitely not be an obstacle for you!"

"Tomorrow we'll aim for the podium and let the world witness the strength of Chinese drivers!"

In the past, when faced with suspenseful questions from track commentators, Chinese fans in the stands, or Chen Xiangbei's fans, often dared not answer.

They lacked confidence that Chen Xiangbei could create a miracle, and making such bold statements prematurely seemed like empty boasting.

After all, ordinary viewers don't need to generate hype.

But today was different. Many firm answers came from the audience. Even though Chen Xiangbei's qualifying results were not as good as his opening match results, they still believed that this Chinese newcomer could give a stunning performance in the main race.

The reason is simple: the "double kill" against Kubica was the turning point in the wind!

(End of this chapter)