Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 221 Teammates are the biggest opponents

Through the glass of his mask, Chen Xiangbei saw many people waving their arms in his direction, but he did not respond and drove straight into the maintenance passage back to the station.

Because of a previous incident where he was "misled," the audience was actually cheering for Hamilton, and Chen Xiangbei just happened to cross the finish line right after him, giving him a false impression.

This created a "crying wolf" effect, with many audience members genuinely cheering for Chen Xiangbei and hesitant to confirm or respond.

Two HRT race cars stopped one after the other at the starting grid, and the entire team ran out to congratulate Chen Xiangbei and Trulli.

For a "new team", winning two consecutive races with two cars in the Q3 is definitely a proud achievement.

HRT even subtly demonstrated its ability to challenge the established powerhouse Renault!
The other crew members in the maintenance lane watched the HRT team celebrating with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Sir Williams was also in the pit lane watching the race today, with the current team principal, Head, standing next to him.

He crossed his arms and looked at Chen Xiangbei in the distance, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and said, "BOSS, you came into contact with Bei through Mr. Staller's introduction a long time ago, and you also recognized his talent and strength. Why did you ultimately choose to give up?"

Head has been with the Williams team for many years, rising step by step from an ordinary engineer to the position of team director, and is currently the second most important person after Sir Williams.

He knew about Sir Williams' past with Chen Xiangbei, but he couldn't understand his boss's decision at the time.

At that time, Chen Xiangbei was just a greenhorn. If the Williams team extended an olive branch, even if it was just to offer him a test driver's seat, he might be able to recruit him into the youth training team.

This is completely different from the recruitment by the Renault team.

When Renault team principal Burrier was about to sign Chen Xiangbei, Chen had already become a powerful figure and was unlikely to be satisfied with the third driver position, so the cooperation was destined to fail.

If Sir Williams didn't recognize Chen Xiangbei's abilities, that would be one thing. But he clearly saw the potential of this new Chinese talent, yet he still didn't choose to make contact with him, let alone use Stagler's connections to connect them.

Hyde really couldn't understand this!

When asked by team director Hyde, Sir Williams gave a meaningful reply.

"It's simple, Williams can't afford to gamble."

Williams is undoubtedly a long-established team with a rich history and heritage in the F1 paddock.

Once upon a time, it was considered one of the "Big Three" alongside Ferrari and McLaren.

Furthermore, the dominance and prestige of this "Big Three" far surpassed that of their later replacement, the Renault team.

The next era in which Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Red Bull can be undisputedly called the "Big Three" will have to wait until ten years from now.

With brand giants like Red Bull and more and more factory teams entering the paddock, operating private teams has become increasingly difficult. Williams team has often been on the verge of collapse, relying entirely on the owner's wealth to stay afloat.

This means that private car fleets can't gamble on the future; they must focus more on the present!

Based on this philosophy, Sir Alex Ferguson recruited Barrichello, a "value-for-money" driver. Although he is past his prime and in the twilight of his career, he still managed to achieve a runner-up finish in the drivers' competition last year, proving that he is still a force to be reckoned with!
Meanwhile, the number two car, Kazuki Nakajima, has a background with the Toyota Group, which can provide Williams with financial and technical support, just like the reason why Red Bull signed Yuki Tsunoda later.

Unfortunately, Sir Williams is getting old and lacks ambition, which leads him to make a series of mistakes!

Barrichello's signing fee was indeed not expensive, but the concept of "cost-effectiveness" is not just about being cheap, but also about being competitive and effective!
A driver who is simply cheap does not deserve the title of "cost-effective".

This Brazilian driver, driving a Williams car, has experienced a precipitous drop in both form and speed, being eliminated in Q1 of the first two races of the new season and falling completely out of the lower ranks of drivers.

As for Kazuki Nakajima, needless to say, his abilities are extremely mediocre, and he was only given a seat because of the Toyota Group.

Now that Toyota has withdrawn from the market, its performance has reached the "death line"!
“Boss, if we had signed Bei back then, the situation might be completely different now.”

Heide still felt a little regretful; even if they couldn't achieve the same result, at least the team still had hope.

A racing team without young people who feel "hopeless" affects more than just their performance; it also impacts the mindset of the entire crew.

This is commonly known as "slacking off".

"There are no 'what ifs' in this world, and besides, Bei isn't the only young person with potential."

“We also have Hulkenberg.”

Sir Williams has single-handedly run his private racing team for decades and remained a force to be reckoned with in the paddock; how could he not have some real skills?

Never put all your eggs in one basket. That was Sir Williams's life motto.

Hulkenberg and Chen Xiangbei entered Sir Williams' field of vision at almost the same time. Compared to Chen Xiangbei, who was still an unscratched lottery ticket last year, Hulkenberg has already shown his strength to win the GP2 championship.

The last driver to win the GP2 rookie season was Lewis Hamilton.

German driver Nico Hulkenberg is Sir Alex Ferguson's backup plan, and now it's time to put him to use.

If Kazuki Nakajima fails to score points in the main race and achieve results that satisfy Sir Williams and the team management, he will retire from the paddock midway through the race.

Once Japanese drivers lose the protection of automotive giants, their competitiveness in the F1 paddock is insufficient; that's just how harsh reality is!

"I understand, Boss."

After hearing Hulkenberg's name, Heid didn't say much. He had been following the young German driver, who had performed exceptionally well in GP2. Perhaps he could really compete with Chen Xiangbei for the title of the strongest rookie!
The HRT team has finished its brief celebration. The mechanics are busy inspecting the race car, while the drivers and engineers are preparing to return to the hotel to rest and recharge for tomorrow's race.

Trulli didn't head to the drivers' lounge immediately. His eyes were on the lap time leaderboard on the monitor screen. Chen Xiangbei's time for his last flying lap was only a hundredth of a second different from his!
Throughout the three practice sessions, regardless of any unexpected events, Chen Xiangbei's lap times steadily improved.

Trulli had no doubt that if Chen Xiangbei were given another lap, their rankings would be reversed!
"Truly, change your clothes and go back to the hotel."

Seeing that Trulli didn't move, the race engineer, Soter, walked over and patted him on the shoulder to signal him to stop.

"Sott, he's getting faster and faster in the north."

Hearing this voice, which sounded almost like a muttering to himself, Soter was momentarily at a loss for words.

Standing in the team's pit lane, he could see all the racing car's sensor data, so he was naturally very clear that Chen Xiangbei was getting faster with each lap.

But what can be done?

Saying it out loud would only increase Trulli's pressure, as both of them are still competing for the title of number one driver.

"Given the data, it's not surprising that the upgrade kit has a higher ceiling and the North is faster."

Soter could only attribute the problem to the upgrade kit, which was a small consolation for Trulli.

Do you think I can stop the North tomorrow?

After Trulli finished speaking, he turned his head and stared at Soter, wanting to hear the truth.

"That depends on how you treat the North."

"Opponent OR Teammate".

Soter's reply was very blunt.

Although Chen Xiangbei's lap times are improving very quickly, he is likely to surpass Trulli in the main race.

However, the two sides did not develop a significant enough gap to become unstoppable for Trulli.

If Trulli is determined to treat Chen Xiangbei as a rival and tries his best to block him, it will be difficult for the car behind to overtake him. The worst outcome would be for both cars to retire from the race.

Similar situations have occurred frequently in F1 history. Even among current drivers, there was Vettel who knocked away the championship that his teammate Webber had won, and Hamilton and Button's internal conflict that led to both cars retiring from the race.

Later, Verstappen knocked Ricciardo down, Leclerc and Perez clashed, Norris and Piastri crashed and retired from the race, and so on...

It's fair to say that in a team with championship potential, it's difficult for two teammates of similar skill levels to get along harmoniously. Unless one side completely submits, like Schumacher and Barrichello, or Hamilton and Bottas.

Or perhaps he's so strong that Verstappen is considered the only one worthy of respect, and his Red Bull teammates tacitly acknowledge him as the number two driver.

"opponent."

Without much hesitation, Trulli gave his definition.

He wasn't close to Chen Xiangbei; at most, he admired him, but it didn't amount to anything more than "showing mercy."

Let alone two "strangers" on the same team, even Hamilton and Rosberg, who grew up eating ice cream together, eventually parted ways and became strangers when faced with the temptation of the World Championship.

"No problem, you can definitely hold off the North."

The hardest thing in life is making choices. Once you make a decision, you know exactly what you should do.

Back in his hotel room, Chen Xiangbei took a shower and then sat down at his computer to review his last timed lap in the qualifying race.

I had only been sitting down for a short while when I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it, Odeto was standing outside.

"Bei, do you have time to chat for a bit?"

Odette doesn't do anything like heart-to-heart talks or nonsense; when she wants to talk, it's always about serious matters.

Chen Xiangbei immediately nodded in agreement.

As Oddo entered the room, his eyes fell on the first-person replay of the ranked match on the computer screen.

He pointed and said, "You should have seen the overall departure order for tomorrow, right?"

"Ah."

"Right in front of you is Rosberg, to your side front is Trulli, to your side rear is Kubica, and directly behind you is Kovalainen. Do you know what that means?"

"I know, we're surrounded by enemies on all sides."

When Chen Xiangbei uttered this word, his expression was a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Whether it's fate or destiny, this ranking match brought together my "enemies," and I just happened to be surrounded in the middle.

"I'm sure you know how others will react."

"I'm just emphasizing one point: if you want to gain a foothold in the team, you can't be soft-hearted."

Odeto didn't say it explicitly, but Chen Xiangbei knew who he was referring to.

This is why Odeto came to the room alone for a private chat.

After all, he has the roles of team leader and chief engineer, and from the team's perspective, he should treat both drivers equally.

From a personal perspective, he naturally leaned towards Chen Xiangbei.

After more than a year of getting to know each other, Odette knew this Chinese guy very well. Despite his outrageous remarks to reporters and the media, he was equally determined to stand up to his rivals in the paddock.

But in reality, Chen Xiangbei doesn't have Schumacher's ruthlessness in "doing whatever it takes" to win.

Or to put it another way, Chen Xiangbei's driving conduct is more like that of Kimi Räikkönen, the Finnish Iceman.

Pure, clean, and ultimate.

This kind of character makes someone a good person, but not necessarily a good driver.

Kimi Räikkönen had the advantage of timing, location, and support, and he unleashed his unparalleled talent at his peak to finally win a world championship title.

If someone slightly less skilled drove that cleanly, they might never achieve the highest honors in racing.

“Odetto, you underestimate me.”

Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile.

I certainly wouldn't resort to despicable means to win in a competition, but I also wouldn't be swayed by any womanly sentimentality.

He knew very well that in tomorrow's match, whether it was for the sake of internal team competition or to break through the encirclement, he had to defeat Trulli as soon as possible.

Even the determination to knock teammates off the track—Senna had it, Schumacher had it, Verstappen had it, and Chen Xiangbei had it too!

"Very good, that's it."

Sensing the firmness in Chen Xiangbei's tone, Odeto realized that his worries were somewhat unnecessary.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing you need to pay attention to."

"Briatoli is currently in contact with some investment sponsors. It seems that they not only have advertising needs, but also want to invest in the team and jointly operate it. The owner, Carabant, has already been persuaded."

"Briatoli is no good person, don't let him screw you over."

Throughout, Odeto remained wary of the old Italian rogue.

He knew very well that old habits die hard, and Briatore's goal in joining the HRT team was definitely not just to lead the team to success; making money was the ultimate objective.

Having secured Chen Xiangbei's agent contract, the next step is naturally to target the racing team.

Huabu's ambitions are far beyond that of a mere professional manager!
"I will."

Just like Odette, Chen Xiangbei was also very clear about this.

Briatore is a double-edged sword; if he doesn't harm others, he will harm himself. If you're not prepared, you'll be sold off and made money.

"Okay, I've said everything I needed to say, so I'll head out now."

Odeto shrugged; he wasn't speaking as a member of the team's management, but rather as an elder offering a few words of advice.

However, when Odette reached the door, he stopped and added with a sigh.

"Bei, you have indeed grown a lot."

That once-newcomer to China has gradually shed his youthful naiveté.

……

Overnight, the Australian Grand Prix main race began.

Today, the track organizers reopened two vacant lawns in Albert Park as temporary spectator areas, bringing the total number of fans to an astonishing 120,000.

Looking around, both sides of the track were filled with dense crowds of people.

In contrast to the bright sunshine of the previous two days, the skies over Melbourne were overcast during the weekend's main competition.

Whether it will rain or not is still unknown, but one thing can be confirmed in advance.

That means the wind is picking up on the track!

(End of this chapter)