Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 227 Mental Fortitude Determines the Upper Limit
With the TF110 race car speeding at breakneck speed, Chen Xiangbei no longer considered the issue of long-distance tire maintenance. If he couldn't outpace Massa by even one second on this lap, he would decisively execute the pit stop for tire changes, no longer bothering with overtaking.

Often, decisively abandoning sunk costs can also be a gain.

"A Chinese newcomer wants to challenge Massa?"

Inside the Ferrari team's pit garage, team principal Domenicali watched the distance between the cars gradually decrease on the monitor screen and muttered something in surprise.

Many Ferrari teams in later generations have engaged in clownish maneuvers. While the Ferrari teams of this era are also moving in that direction, at least the foundation of the Prancing Horse dynasty established by Schumacher's trio remains.

Their data analysis capabilities far surpass those of the average driver in the paddock.

Prancing Horse's century-long history as one of the "Big Three" racing teams is not just a saying!

They were well aware of the HRT race car's performance and its current tire wear.

Chen Xiangbei chased after Massa despite the risk of a tire blowout. Even if he could catch up with the car, so what?

How can a newcomer surpass Ferrari's world runner-up?
The Chinese kid is really too arrogant, to the point that he can't even tell the difference between the kings and queens in the paddock.

"It seems that they have this idea. Beating Kubica and overtaking Rosberg has greatly boosted North's confidence."

The sports director, Armando, shrugged, his words seemingly acknowledging Chen Xiangbei, but in reality, he didn't take it seriously at all.

Newbies eventually have to learn from their mistakes to understand what they can and cannot do.

The race cars continued to roar, with Trulli blocking the way behind. Chen Xiangbei was completely absorbed in the chase.

2.3 second, 2.1 seconds, 1.8 seconds...

The numbers on the monitor screen kept changing. With everyone looking on incredulously, Chen Xiangbei frantically closed the distance with Massa. He was going to challenge this real championship contender!
"The data shows that North's speed on this lap is very fast. If he keeps it up, he might be able to get the fastest lap in the whole race. He chose to push forward at this time. Is he preparing to overtake Massa?"

Commentator Reid also noticed the change in lap time.

In addition to various track records, each F1 race also has a ranking of the fastest laps of the day.

Whoever sets the fastest lap in the entire competition will receive an extra point if they remain in the top ten rankings at the end of the competition.

Chen Xiangbei's lap is very likely to be the fastest lap of the entire event!

Normally, the fastest lap time usually occurs in the latter half of the race, when the fuel is almost used up, the car is lighter, and enough rubber has shed off on the track, improving grip.

If Chen Xiangbei starts advancing at this point, then there is only one possibility left: he is pursuing Masa ahead.

This Chinese kid is really full of aggressive desire!

"That's right, the North is preparing to challenge Massa."

Prost affirmed that the difficulty of overtaking at the Albert Park circuit meant that no driver would waste tires on pointless activities.

However, he had some doubts that Chen Xiangbei would ultimately do the same thing in vain!
Being able to catch up with Massa within three laps is already considered an exceptional performance. So what makes Chen Xiangbei think he can overtake him next?

Massa's offensive and defensive abilities are undoubtedly a level above those of Bitulli, Kubica, and even Rosberg.

There's no way a Chinese kid could be that strong!
Massa also had the word "impossible" on his mind.

As the lap was completed, the team's voice notification informed him of the situation behind them. When Massa glanced at the rearview mirror out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black and orange race car at the end of the long straight, and he was utterly shocked.

With a difference of just over two seconds, and having completed only one lap, they arrived in their own wake zone.

This means that the Chinese kid's speed in the previous lap was at least 1 second faster than his own!
Although Massa did not push forward and maintained cruising, his average speed was not slow, so theoretically there was no possibility of him being easily overtaken.

Now the facts are clear: Chen Xiangbei did it!
"Massa, after going north and getting purple, he should be advancing at full speed."

"However, his tires won't last long, so he should just stick to the defensive line."

The team's instructions came again, telling Massa how to respond.

Massa understood the reasoning, but he couldn't understand how Chen Xiangbei could run so fast. After all, the other party was a complete newcomer who had only raced two F1 races, and he came from China, a country with no racing scene!
"Received, he can't get past it."

Massa responded calmly, saying that one shouldn't dwell on things they can't understand, and he was equally confident in his own abilities.

As the race progressed to lap twelve, the TF110 race car, like a "black lightning bolt," finally caught up with Massa's car and entered the regular attack range.

However, overtaking is not an easy task for Chen Xiangbei.

The main reason is that after a dozen or so laps on the soft red tires, plus these two laps at full speed, the tire grip has begun to rapidly decline. As a result, when Chen Xiangbei was cornering at high speed, he could occasionally hear abnormal noises from the wheels spinning, and the entire race car was in a slight swaying state, requiring him to make corrective actions at any time.

Two laps, at most two laps with the car; if you can't overtake Chen Xiangbei, you must enter the station.

Otherwise, even if the weak point in the locked tire sidewall doesn't burst, the race car will completely lose grip and become uncontrollable.

The Chinese spectators at the track were unaware of Chen Xiangbei's predicament; they were celebrating their overtaking of Massa.

"NICE! Chen Xiangbei has caught up with Massa, who is in sixth place. At this rate and frequency of overtaking, it's not impossible for him to make it onto the podium!"

"Chen Xiangbei is absolutely insane! He beat Massa by more than a second in a single lap. His opponent was the world runner-up driving a Ferrari!"

"Driver Bei has proven himself to be a prodigy who is no less talented than Raikkonen!"

Exclamations of amazement poured in, and even many professional racers standing in the pit lane gave Chen Xiangbei high praise upon witnessing this scene.

Compared to ordinary viewers, they are more aware of the difficulty Chen Xiangbei faced in catching up, and the courage he had to take on the challenge.

Chinese newcomers are full of speed and passion; that's the spirit of a driver!
Chen Xiangbei followed behind Massa, looking for an opportunity to attack. However, the opponent was too experienced in defense, constantly disrupting the tail airflow and not giving Chen Xiangbei any chance to seize the vacuum period and launch a shot.

The release of flywheel kinetic energy in this era was not as direct as that of the DRS in later generations, making it difficult to rely solely on the performance of the race car to overcome long straightaways.

So, the only overtaking section left for Chen Xiangbei is the curve.

The problem is that the tire grip is not good enough for Chen Xiangbei to take any extreme driving lines, and the regular overtaking lines are all blocked by Massa, so there is no hope at all!

After a lap, Chen Xiangbei made several probing attacks, but was still blocked behind the car.

"North, the sensors show that the tire life has fallen below the warning line, we need to consider entering the pit."

Several probing attacks, followed by acceleration and heavy braking, further shortened the already limited lifespan of the tires, prompting Hiroki Sawano to issue an early warning to Xiangbei Chen.

If Chen Xiangbei could decisively abandon sunk costs when he couldn't catch up in the previous lap, now that Massa is just a stone's throw ahead, he really can't give up the offensive and pit to change tires.

"Sawano-senpai, there's still one more lap to go according to the plan. I can keep going."

"You can hold on, but the tires can't."

"North, execute the convoy's orders."

Odette's voice followed, "These tires simply can't withstand two consecutive laps of attack. I'll try one last time!"

Chen Xiangbei gritted his teeth and gave this answer, his eyes fixed on the T10 bend ahead of the track.

This corner is not a regular overtaking point at the Albert Park circuit, but a very ordinary C-shaped corner. When a car goes through this corner, it requires a combination of mechanical downforce and aerodynamic downforce.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei's race car's mechanical downforce couldn't grip the ground, and the air downforce brought by the newly upgraded kit was also insufficient to maintain his overtaking speed. Choosing to try one last time was more like a cornered beast fighting for its life!

Hearing Chen Xiangbei's reply, Odeto shook his head and released the call button on his headset.

He did not agree with Chen Xiangbei's idea, but as an F1 newcomer, he needed to experience many things for himself.

Even if it's a failure!

In a sense, this is the state of a positive and healthy team. The kind of team that refuses any challenges or attempts from rookies and criticizes them to the point of "killing" them after a single failure is more likely to destroy a young person's career.

Briatore is so criticized because he often doesn't treat rookie drivers as human beings, doesn't consider their psychological state at all, and treats them purely as profit-making tools!

At the T10 corner braking area, Chen Xiangbei braked later than Massa. Relying on his speed advantage, he changed lanes and turned, instantly catching up with the Ferrari in front of him as he entered the corner. The two cars entered the corner side by side.

Are you about to overtake?

As the broadcast appeared on the big screen, almost everyone at Albert Park Circuit had this thought in their minds.

Only Massa's lips curled into a hint of disdain.

Given Chen Xiangbei's current condition, if he can overtake me at this speed, it would be nothing short of a miracle that defies physics!
Massa's years of racing experience kept him calm and collected. He maintained his cornering line without any panic, and at the same time, he slightly increased his speed inside the corner to take the apex point (the apex of the corner) in advance.

Chinese newcomers can't even get the best spots, what makes them think they can compete with me?

At that moment, Chen Xiangbei firmly gripped the steering wheel, already feeling the entire race car shifting sideways and "trembling."

Looking at the Ferrari race car beside him, victory was within reach, and he didn't want to give up all his previous efforts!

But racing is materialistic, and that won't change because of beliefs.

Massa successfully cut the line and took the apex of the corner, which meant that Chen Xiangbei's cornering line was too wide.

The HRT race car, which already had little grip on the ground, was unable to maintain its cornering position due to the strong lateral G-force, even with its oversteer characteristics. Chen Xiangbei drifted directly towards the run-off area.

"problem occurs!"

Upon seeing this scene on the screen, the entire HRT crew clenched their fists instinctively.

Formula 1 racing is a high-risk sport. At speeds exceeding 200 km/h, if control is lost, no one can guarantee Chen Xiangbei's safety.

Whether it's the team spirit forged through long-term interaction or the fact that Chen Xiangbei represents the future and hope of the HRT team, the crew members cannot accept any mishaps on his part.

Constantly teetering on the edge of losing control, there will eventually come a time when things slip out of our grasp!
Feeling the race car spiraling out of control and experiencing a fishtail at the rear, Chen Xiangbei quickly reversed the steering wheel in an attempt to save the car.

He can accept a simple slide or going out of the run-off area, at least that gives the car a chance to get back on the track. But if a spin occurs, even if the car doesn't stall and can get back into the race, it wastes at least ten or twenty seconds.

In the current track conditions, Chen Xiangbei's previous efforts to overtake others have been wasted, and he will have to drop to a lower position.

Ultimately, he overestimated the car's grip and underestimated Massa's abilities!
Pumping brakes, rev-matching, counter-steering corrections...

In a mere fraction of a second, Chen Xiangbei performed this emergency rescue operation.

From the outside perspective, what was seen was the HRT race car's rear end swinging back and forth several times, but miraculously regaining grip at a certain critical point, preventing Chen Xiangbei from completely losing control and going off the track!

"GOOD!"

"Driver Bei made a very correct maneuver, saving the car from going out of control."

"The mental fortitude and solid driving skills displayed by this Chinese newcomer in the face of crisis may far exceed everyone's expectations!"

Prost, who usually remained calm, became somewhat flustered after witnessing Chen Xiangbei's rescue of the car.

Such extreme maneuvering is difficult even for a seasoned driver from the mid-to-upper class, let alone a newcomer to the F1 paddock. It would be challenging for them to remain calm and make the right decisions.

Top-tier drivers can only guarantee a minimum standard in the F1 paddock.

Only drivers with top-notch mental fortitude have the right to determine the ceiling of their professional careers!
"Fuck..."

“FUCK…”

There weren't many words spoken inside the enclosure; instead, there were mostly words used for pure venting.

Even Odeto and his strategy team members used profanity to vent their tension and stress.

Only Chen Xiangbei, watching Massa widen the distance between them again, felt more resentment than anything else.

It was so close, just a tiny bit off.

If the tires have better grip, Chen Xiangbei, the racing legend, can overtake and seize the apex of the corner, making Massa the one who can't achieve a perfect line.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world, and I ultimately failed to surpass Massa!

Just as Chen Xiangbei was feeling a mix of emotions, a small, glistening dot appeared on the helmet visor.

This small dot is not obvious; it looks more like a bead of sweat that has been flicked up from the inside.

However, the small dots gradually increased in number, and the water droplets became larger and larger, so it couldn't have been sweat beads that had been splattered onto the mask.

It's raining?
After a moment of stunned silence, these three words came to Chen Xiangbei's mind.

Before he could even press the call button on the steering wheel to ask a question, Odette's voice came through the headset.

"North, cumulonimbus clouds have arrived over the track. Plunge immediately for tire changes!"

When Odeto gave this order, there was a hint of joy in his voice.

Every cloud has a silver lining, especially in the ever-changing world of Formula 1 paddock.

Chen Xiangbei persisted with these attacks without entering the station, but unexpectedly, rain arrived, which indirectly saved him the time of entering the station!
Otherwise, Chen Xiangbei would have to go back into the station to change to rain tires right after getting a new tire!
Sensing the change in Odeto's emotions, Chen Xiangbei's heart also surged with emotion.

The only difference is that the two people find joy in different things.

Chen Xiangbei finally got the long-awaited rain battle, and at the same time, he had another opportunity to challenge Massa.

This time, Chen Xiangbei will not give Massa any chance.

He must win this match!
(End of this chapter)