Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 225 Ending the Intra-Team Conflict
The FIA's comprehensive rules on second lane changes and brake zone lane changes were not clearly defined and penalized until the 12 season. Before that, the judging criteria were very vague, which led to many "dragon-drawing" drivers on the track.

Even after the rules were clearly defined, many drivers still tried to exploit loopholes and do everything they could to prevent other cars from overtaking them.

Magnussen earned the nickname "Magnus the Dragon" because he frequently did this kind of thing.

Now, with years of experience, Trulli is going to great lengths to defend, even resorting to borderline violations. From Chen Xiangbei's perspective, it's as if an impenetrable wall has appeared in front of him, making it really difficult for him to find an opportunity to overtake!
"Odette, appropriate competition within the team can help improve performance, but this defensive approach is very dangerous and can easily lead to collisions that could cause both cars to retire from the race."

"I believe an order should be issued to the convoy to stop this violent altercation!"

Hiroki Sawano finally couldn't hold back and expressed his opinion to Odeto.

There is a fundamental difference between healthy competition and a "life-or-death struggle." Trulli's current defense is clearly over the line and he's getting a bit carried away.

No team can stand idly by and condone such a high-level confrontation between their two drivers. The accident resulting in both cars retiring from the race not only affects the outcome of this race, but given HRT's current R&D and manufacturing capabilities, even the ability to repair the cars for the next race is questionable.

Manager Briatore's instigation of internal competition within the team has gone a bit too far!
When faced with Hiroki Sawano's questioning, Odeto showed a hesitant expression.

It's important to know that Ferrari's strategy team used to have a very strict hierarchy, with drivers' status and wingman roles clearly defined in their contracts. They didn't allow any internal competition or second drivers "disobeying their superiors."

At a crucial moment, for the sake of the team's performance and interests, the second driver was forced to give up even the championship!

Influenced by Ferrari for many years, Odeto emotionally disagreed with this way of competing, but rationally he understood that both drivers were already caught up in the moment, and stopping them at this point might not lead to them obeying the team's instructions.

Even if we win this game, we might not be able to win the next one.

Throughout history, countless drivers have refused to follow team orders, especially before a winner has been determined.

Rather than leaving potential problems, let's just follow Briatore's approach and compete on the track. We'll accept the consequences of our gamble!

Just as Odeto hesitated, Briatore came from the air-conditioned P room to the outdoor command post.

He calmly put on the listening headset, then pressed the voice call button and said, "Bei, is this the fair competition you wanted? But now you can't surpass them?"

Briatore's sarcastic remarks reached Chen Xiangbei's ears via radio broadcast.

To be honest, it's a bit like "killing someone by attacking their spirit".

Initially, Chen Xiangbei was still full of youthful vigor and enthusiasm. He rejected the team owner Carabant's offer to add a wingman, believing that the first and second drivers should compete fairly so that his "teammate" would at least accept defeat.

As a result, Chen Xiangbei could also become a loser!
If they can't surpass the leader and lose, then the attention given by the management and strategy team, and the allocation of resources to the team that prioritizes the replacement of the new upgrade kit, will all highlight that Chen Xiangbei's naive idea is like that of a clown.

Briatore's mockery was meant to make the young Chinese man face reality.

Räikkönen-style drivers are not suited for the paddock; Schumacher is the ultimate answer for drivers!
"Why are you so quiet? Are you upset?"

"I'm really unhappy."

Chen Xiangbei replied, "I believe no one likes being mocked by Briatore."

"If you're not happy, just overtake it. There's a left turn ahead with the T7 and T8 highways combined. Do you know how fast Alonso used to go through that turn back in the day?"

300km/h!

“If you can match Alonso’s speed, I don’t believe Trulli can defend against you.”

Compared to Odette, who was mindful of his position as chief race engineer and couldn't openly favor Chen Xiangbei, Briatore, as the team manager, had no such scruples.

It's obvious they don't want Trulli to win!

Of course, whether he wants to or not is one thing, and whether Chen Xiangbei can actually do it is another.

Alonso sets a high bar; only by walking a tightrope can one successfully overtake him!

Listening to the conversation between Briatore and Chen Xiangbei, Oddo frowned slightly.

The track record for the T7 combination corner is just over 290 km/h. When did Alonso ever reach 300 km/h?

While Odeto remained calm in the face of this doubt, the young data analyst Sho Mizutani couldn't contain himself and questioned, "Manager, are you mistaken? Alonso didn't set a track record for this corner."

What was the track record?

Briatore countered with a question.

"293 km/h."

"It seems I remembered it wrongly."

Hua Bu replied nonchalantly, not taking it to heart at all.

"Manager, this mistake is very serious. If Xiang Beijun tries to take the corner at 300 km/h, there is a high probability that he will go off the track."

Sho Mizutani gave a serious reminder, emphasizing the meticulous data-driven approach typical of Japanese STEM students.

"and then?"

What's the difference between not being able to overtake and going off the track?

"In my opinion, they're all losers!"

Briatore actually knew the track record, and Alonso's claim of running 300 km/h was just something he made up on the spot.

He didn't care whether Chen Xiangbei would run off the track; he only cared about whether he could beat Trulli.

HRT team's number one driver absolutely cannot be this "rival" whom he personally kicked out!
“Team Leader Odeto, I don’t think we can do that.”

Realizing he couldn't persuade Briatore, Mizutani Sho turned his attention to Oddo.

Compared to madmen and rogue managers, Odette is a true racing professional.

"Mizutani, stop talking. Follow the manager's instructions."

Odeto shook his head, not wanting to discuss the matter further.

However, this change in him made Mizutani Sho feel somewhat incredulous. Could it be that even Odette, who had come all the way, had acted impulsively and ignored the risks of overtaking?

"Team leader..."

Mizutani Sho wanted to say something more, but Odeto simply interrupted him.

"Often, the competition between drivers is not about skill level, but about their fighting spirit."

"This race is not only about the drivers' status, but also about whether the North's unstoppable rise can be maintained."

"Taking risks is not scary; what's truly cowardly is being afraid of risks and giving up!"

Odeto finally gave his reasons, and Briatore was right.

Being afraid to take the risk of overtaking is no different from running off the track.

Everyone's a loser!

"I understand."

This time, Mizutani Sho did not argue, he understood Odeto's intention.

On the track, Chen Xiangbei listened to Briatore's words and, to be honest, he was a little confused.

It's important to know that Chen Xiangbei is a hard-working driver. Although he hadn't actually driven the Albert Park circuit, he memorized all the data, including the maximum cornering speed for each corner. He recalled that Alonso never reached 300 km/h at the T7 combination corner.

Chen Xiangbei simply couldn't believe that Briatore would lie about something like this. He could only assume that he had misremembered, or that Alonso's speed was something he achieved during a test or training session that wasn't recorded in the Grand Prix.

Since Alonso has done it, it means it's feasible, and I can replicate it too!

Without much thought, and with no room for hesitation on the track, Chen Xiangbei floored the accelerator, using the wake to catch up with Trulli's rear, and then used the wake effect to pull away.

This time, however, he didn't choose to overtake directly, but instead swerved to the right and drove onto the shoulder.

To take a corner at a top speed of 300 km/h, you must take full advantage of the width of the corner and use the road shoulder to successfully cut the line.

Otherwise, such speed would not only exceed the limits of the track, but also the limits of physics, making it impossible to pass!

Looking at Chen Xiangbei changing lanes in the rearview mirror, Trulli's expression was very indifferent, but also carried a hint of doubt.

Is the Chinese kid planning to overtake at the T7 combination bend?
Trulli has driven the Albert Park circuit many times. The T7 combination corner is one of the fastest corners and is not a regular overtaking point. Few drivers have successfully overtaken here in the past.

Trulli had no idea how Chen Xiangbei overtook the two identical race cars.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiangbei's unusual behavior was also captured by the track cameras, and commentator Red asked in confusion after seeing it.

"On the track, facing the T7 high-speed combination corner to the north, he chose to use the tailwind effect of the car in front to ride on the kerb before entering the corner. In my opinion, this move only had one intention, which was to launch an attack by cutting corners at the extreme."

"The problem is that this method is extremely risky, even exceeding the limits of racing tire grip. Is it necessary to push the team to such an extreme level in the competition?"

This time, commentator Reid used the word "desperately". The run-off area of ​​the Albert Park circuit is not wide. When cornering at speeds close to 300 km/h, there is a 99% chance of going off the track and hitting the wall.

The remaining one percent is purely due to God's favor.

As T1 surged into the corner at the start, Reid immediately sensed the intensity of the competition from the HRT team.

However, the way it was done was far beyond his expectations.

Not to mention the commentators, even the commentators at the HRT team's outdoor commentary booth were all staring intently at the monitor screen, feeling uncertain.

No one expected that the battle between the number one and number two drivers would escalate to this point.

The arrogant and fiery Trulli clashed with the assertive and flamboyant Chen Xiangbei, creating a clash of titans, with neither willing to back down.

Chen Xiangbei needs the resources of the number one driver to ensure the prospects of his career.

Trulli needs this victory to respond to Briatore and prove himself!

Liang Chi, Lu Xiaoman, and the others were on tenterhooks.

Even if they don't understand racing, they know what exceeding the limits of cornering means. Briatore almost set an impossible speed for Chen Xiangbei.

If you crash into the wall while off the track, you'll at best damage a race car; but if you're unlucky, you might even be in mortal danger.

While drivers are destined to battle with death, is it necessary to use that skill in this kind of situation?

"Bei's speed is very fast. According to the track speedometer, he was already over 230 km/h when entering the corner and was still accelerating."

"The front of the car has already passed Trulli's rear wheel from the outside. The car in front has no way to change lanes to block it in the corner. The only way to deal with it is to accelerate as much as possible and get a faster exit speed to maintain the lead."

"However, at this rate of increase, I can't say whether Trulli can control the car. It will be really difficult for driver North to conquer the T7 high-speed combination corner at Albert Park."

"Chinese newcomers may have overestimated themselves."

When commentator Prost said this, his tone was filled with regret.

He can understand why young players want to win the competition within the team and receive preferential treatment in resources and strategies.

The problem is that Chen Xiangbei's actions were meaningless, impulsive, and reckless. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to pass through the T7 high-speed combination curves at that speed.

Chen Xiangbei's continued choice to do so can only be described as youthful arrogance. He often has to learn to respect the track and fear speed by "paying tuition."

The two race cars gradually came side by side in the bend. Feeling the threat posed by Chen Xiangbei's pursuit, Trulli gritted his teeth and stepped on the gas to shift up and accelerate. Since the newcomer was not afraid of death, how could he, a veteran, admit defeat?
His departure from Renault after losing out to newcomer Alonso in the team competition nearly ruined Trulli's entire career.

He absolutely would not allow himself to experience it a second time!

"Has the HRT driver gone mad, accelerating through the corners of both race cars?"

"At nearly 300 km/h, Trulli and Chen Xiangbei were planning to crash and kill themselves?"

"The Chinese kid is too arrogant. This bend will be the end of the North End race!"

Exclamations and questions erupted from the stands as both HRT race cars were on the verge of going out of control.

Moreover, in the public's eyes, this was a war that Chen Xiangbei had initiated.

270km/h, 280km/h, 290km/h……

As the car entered Turn 8 and approached its 300 km/h speed limit, Trulli realized something: he could no longer keep up with Chen Xiangbei's car.

F1 cars rely on downforce to corner, and there are two different types.

In most cases, low-speed cornering relies on mechanical downforce; before the speed increases, the aerodynamic kit has little effect.

This is similar to how many people on the street install a huge rear wing on the back of their car just to show off. In reality, if the car doesn't go above 180 km/h, the wing doesn't provide any downforce and will even disrupt the car's original aerodynamic layout, having the opposite effect.

The aerodynamic kit only exerts its downforce on high-speed corners!
However, another counterargument arises at this point: that excessive downforce would affect the acceleration and top speed of the race car.

An airflow equivalent to several times the weight of the car is pressing down on the race car, how could it not be slow?
Therefore, the tuning of an F1 car is about finding the balance point of downforce to ensure that the speed in corners is both fast and stable!

The old aerodynamic kit for the TF110 race car, combined with the exhaust diffuser, generated extremely strong downforce, resulting in understeer. This meant that it couldn't match the new upgraded kit in either acceleration or top speed.

The difference isn't obvious under normal circumstances, but it becomes apparent when racing at top speed.

Trullica struggled to reach 290 km/h, while Chen Xiangbei reached 300 km/h.

A speed difference of 10 km/h is enough for him to overtake!
The immense inertia and G-force from the speed caused slight deformation of Chen Xiangbei's facial muscles under the helmet.

The racing tires reached their grip limit and showed signs of lateral movement.

Sensing the dynamic changes in the race car, Chen Xiangbei had no choice but to do his best to approach the APEX point and use the track width to complete the buffer tangent.

What does it mean to be on the verge of losing control? Chen Xiangbei's current situation is exactly that.

If the force applied to the steering wheel changes even slightly, or if the hand trembles even a little, the entire race car will instantly go out of control!

However, the situation did not escalate out of control. Chen Xiangbei maintained firm control of the steering wheel, using linear force to complete the turn in the curve, and rushed out of the T8 curve at a speed of 300km/h.

There was no element of luck involved; Chen Xiangbei conquered the Albert Park circuit by relying on his absolute car sense and the hard-earned handling skills honed through diligent training!

"They overtook them! The North team successfully overtook them!"

"MY GOD, I can't believe my eyes! The track monitoring equipment shows that the top speed through the corner reached 300km/h, which is a brand new cornering record!"

"Bei won this intra-team duel with an almost impossible speed, proving that he has talent and strength comparable to Raikkonen!"

(End of this chapter)