Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 228 This time I'll be even faster!
"Raindrops have already started to fall over the track, and judging from the dense team instructions, the drivers will be rushing to pit for rain tires."

"However, the cumulonimbus clouds at Albert Park Circuit were relatively thin today, and there were also strong winds. The weather radar could not provide accurate rainfall and stopping information, so the tire selection was a real test of the team's strategy, and even a little bit of luck."

"The arrival of the rainy season is bound to make the Australian Grand Prix even more exciting!"

Reid provided timely commentary on the changing situation of the game and expressed his anticipation for this rain-soaked match.

It's important to understand that with the development of Formula One racing regulations, the size of racing cars and aerodynamic components have reached a bottleneck, making overtaking increasingly difficult.

Often, a qualifying session determines the rankings of most drivers in the race, and there are very few spectacular comebacks.

This is why the FIA ​​made major changes to the cars in the following years, resulting in the hybrid electric mode, DRS overtaking sections, and most importantly, the use of ground effect car chassis.

It can be said that the rules and regulations have been completely overturned.

In a semi-street race like the Albert Park Circuit, if it weren't for the dark horse Chen Xiangbei launching a crazy offensive, the drivers would usually choose to follow the car and enter a tire-preserving mode, with the twenty-odd drivers driving smoothly like a "train" on the track.

Just like the Monaco circuit, which was originally the crown jewel of FI, whoever won the championship would have the title of "King of the Streets".

As a result, the cars were too large, the track was narrow, and overtaking was difficult. This made the Monaco Grand Prix increasingly boring; without any dramatic crashes or other incidents, it was almost impossible to watch without falling asleep.

With the rules set in stone, the rain-soaked battle became the only variable!
"Get moving, get moving, prepare to welcome two trains into the station!"

In the maintenance lane area, the mechanics of each team quickly prepared various tires and tools, and arrived at their workstations to stand by.

Especially the HRT crew members, many of whom still showed signs of tension on their faces.

It's important to know that the sudden rain means that the team's two cars will almost always pit one after the other for tire changes, a situation commonly known as "double pit stop".

The requirements for teamwork and professional coordination when two vehicles enter the station are far more demanding than the simple addition of one vehicle entering the station. The difficulty and error rate will increase exponentially.

Even large fleets don't dare to use the double-car entry maneuver unless absolutely necessary, unless there are special circumstances.

Briatore was furious during the opening match and fired the tire crew member who made the mistake.

Nobody wants to be the next unlucky one to leave.

"Team Leader Odeto, the rainfall amount is difficult to determine from the meteorological data. Should we change Xiang Beijun's tires to full-weather tires or partial-weather tires?"

Mizutani Sho asked a question.

In F1, wet tires are divided into two types: semi-wet tires and full-wet tires.

Semi-weather tires have shallow tread patterns and limited water drainage performance. They are suitable for light to moderate rain and situations where the track is wet but there is no significant water accumulation.

Full-weather tires have deep treads on their surface, similar to the tread pattern of ordinary household tires. However, with the help of speed, their water drainage efficiency is amazing. At a speed of 300km/h, full-weather tires can drain 85L of water per second.

However, every advantage has its disadvantage. Full rain tires are the slowest of all tire types, with a difference of about 5 seconds per lap even compared to semi-rain tires, and a difference of up to 10 seconds or more compared to slick tires.

The problem is that there's no standard answer when it comes to rainfall. When the semi-weather tires don't have enough drainage, the race car becomes like an ice skater, and you have to go at an extremely slow speed just to make sure you don't go off the track. In this case, it might be much slower than with full-weather tires.

If the rain is light or stops quickly, the full-weather tires will not have enough grip and will overheat rapidly, resulting in ridiculously slow lap times.

This is why rain-soaked battles heavily rely on the accuracy of the team's decision-making; it's easy to become a laughingstock.

Odeto did not answer Mizutani Sho's question immediately.

Due to the limited resources of the team, Chen Xiangbei did not receive track training simulating rain battles, and Odette had no idea whether this kid was a "landlubber".

With the car about to enter the pits, there was simply no time for Odette to think things through.

Just as he was gritting his teeth and preparing to answer, Hiroki Sawano made a decision beside him.

"Technicians, get ready to change to wet tires!"

Hearing Hiroki Sawano's firm answer, the technicians did not hesitate and immediately carried out the order at the fastest speed.

However, the strategy team members all turned their attention to Hiroki Sawano.

Special Manager Briatore was filled with curiosity and confusion.

These Japanese strategy team members are usually quite conservative and meticulous, and rarely willing to make risky decisions.

Today, however, they unhesitatingly "overstepped their bounds" and chose an aggressive tire strategy, which carries risks no less than overtaking at high speed on a curve, giving the impression that the sun has risen in the west.

With this question in mind, Hua Bu couldn't help but ask, "Ze Ye, Kita is a newcomer who has never raced in an F1 rain race before. The rain clouds above the track show no signs of dissipating. Why did you choose semi-rain tires?"

"high speed."

With an extremely simple and blunt answer, Hiroki Sawano turned to look at the monitor screen and ignored Briatore.

Briatore, on the other hand, stared in disbelief and swallowed hard. He had never realized that Japanese engineers could be so "radical" and "humorous," making decisions based solely on how fast the tires ran.
Even I wouldn't treat a driver like that, would I?

If it were anyone else, Hiroki Sawano might have given a serious explanation of the reasons.

In the face of Florentino, this old Italian rogue, even though the other party is his BOSS, Hiroki Sawano's attitude is, in a sense, a "retaliation" against Briatore's style.

The cars were entering the pits at a speed limit in the pit lane. Chen Xiangbei was already enjoying the treatment of the number one driver. He had to pit first to change tires for Tirulli, while the latter had to pay the waiting time for both cars to enter the pits and have a higher error rate.

The TF110 race car stopped precisely in the starting grid. This time, due to the two cars pitting, there were many more mechanics on the side than before, who were positioning themselves in advance for Trulli's pit stop.

Often, pressure can be a motivator in the workplace. Influenced by Briatore's kicking, the technical team members were noticeably more precise and meticulous in their tire-changing coordination this time. The entire sequence of movements was fluid and seamless, showcasing the ultimate aesthetics of teamwork on Earth.

During the short time it took to change the tires, Chen Xiangbei glanced at the tire treads and noticed that the team had given him semi-weather tires, and the drainage patterns on them were all hand-carved.

Many people may not know that, in order to perfectly match the car's tuning scheme and characteristics, as well as adapt to the track's drainage, F1 wet tires are all designed by the team's engineers, who spend one or two days carving out the auxiliary tread pattern one by one, within the limits of the rules.

Even with the advent of specialized tire carving machines in later generations, many racing teams still haven't abandoned the manual standard, all in pursuit of that tiny bit of performance improvement!
That's why Formula 1 is the undisputed king of motorsport.

The reason is that every part of its body is designed for the racetrack!

The green light came on for safe release, and as the jack was lowered, Chen Xiangbei sped off the train. The entire tire change took 2.8 seconds.

In the 10 season, this would definitely be considered a qualified or even excellent result. The technicians did not disappoint the ranking that Chen Xiangbei achieved by overtaking!

However, Trulli, who entered the pits right after, significantly outpaced Chen Xiangbei in tire changing time, by a whopping 6.4 seconds, nearly doubling the time.

HRT is ultimately a small to medium-sized team without a strong foundation. No matter how much the technical team improves, they can only guarantee the pit stop time for one car in a short period of time. When two cars pit, mistakes and delays are inevitable.

Once you become the number two driver, you are destined to gradually lose your competitiveness within the team, unless you have extraordinary speed and potential.

Of course, none of this is related to Chen Xiangbei now. How to allocate team resources and schedule operations is something that the team's management should consider.

All he has to do now is catch up with Massa ahead of him!
Ferrari's tire change time was also 2.8 seconds, meaning the gap between Chen Xiangbei and Massa remained unchanged. "Oh, the exciting rain battle hasn't even started yet, and there have already been many changes on the track."

"Liuz of Force India and Aguesu of Toro Rosso went off the track, and Bruno Senna of Lotus even crashed into the wall."

"Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna was once known as the God of Rain, but it seems that his nephew did not inherit his uncle's talent for racing in the rain."

As he listened to Reid's explanation, Prost's face showed a look of regret.

The phrase "a smile can erase all enmity" is perfectly suited to describe his relationship with Senna.

Once the competition in the paddock was over, the two went from being mortal enemies on the track to becoming friends who appreciated each other.

Even Prost eventually became one of Sena's pallbearers.

He hoped that Bruno would carry on Senna's will and continue the great family name within the paddock.

Unfortunately, Bruno Cena is not Elton Cena.

Just as Prost was lost in his memories, he noticed on the monitor screen in the broadcast room that HRT team's rookie driver Chen Xiangbei had once again caught up with Massa in the slipstream zone within one second!
Since Chen Xiangbei's previous attack failed and he almost lost control and went off the track, the broadcast cameras have not focused on him and Massa.

The audience and professionals in the paddock generally agreed that the Chinese newcomer had not yet reached the standard to challenge Massa.

Before they knew it, Chen Xiangbei had caught up with them again.

"Red, driver Bei has caught up with Massa again. The Chinese newcomer is something else, he's very fast in the rain."

Prost reminded Reid, and then turned the track broadcast camera back to Chen Xiangbei.

"It shouldn't be the speed that's the problem, but rather the various speed limit warnings and yellow flags due to track accidents that allowed the driver to catch up, right?"

Reid replied with some confusion.

Chen Xiangbei's skidding and loss of control widened the gap between him and Massa to 3 seconds again.

Now, less than two laps have passed, and we're back at the rear of the car again—it's unbelievable.

Can a newcomer's rain-driving skills be one second faster than Massa's lap time?
"The single yellow flag only imposed a slight speed limit, and it was quickly lifted anyway, so the north was indeed very fast."

Prost gave an affirmative answer, and he even had a vague premonition that Chen Xiangbei's rain battle would be amazing.

Meanwhile, from the HRT team's control tower, the monitoring data showed Chen Xiangbei's speed more clearly. He was not only one second faster than Massa on a single lap, but he was nearly two seconds faster on the last lap!
If the name were covered, Odette would suspect that the driver was Schumacher, or even Senna.

"Sawano, is this why you changed Kita's tires to semi-rain tires?"

Odeto asked in a shocked tone.

The rain is gradually intensifying on the track, and many sections are now flooded.

Some drivers who are not good at racing in the rain, let alone switching to semi-weather tires, even if they are on full-weather tires, still slip badly. Three of them went off the track in less than two laps, and the rest did not dare to push their speed.

Chen Xiangbei, however, did the opposite. Taking advantage of the fact that the water on the track was not so bad, he started to push wildly to chase Massa ahead, even before he had finished the warm-up laps in the pit lane.

The reason Odeto could think of was simply the phrase "high skill breeds daring".

The problem is, Chen Xiangbei is bold, but where did he get his skill from in the rain?

"Team Leader Odeto, enjoy Xiang Bei Jun's showtime."

Hiroki Sawano didn't say much, but he would always remember the moment when Chen Xiangbei broke the Renault Formula record in the rain at Suzuka Circuit.

Rainy conditions are this kid's real killer move!
Through the spray from the rear of the car on the track, Massa saw the black and orange HRT race car again in his rearview mirror.

Compared to the first time he was caught up, this time the shock was even greater!

The reason is simple: Massa didn't take it seriously the first time, but this time he deliberately increased his speed, not wanting to give Chen Xiangbei any chance to catch up.

They still managed to catch up!
[Does a newcomer really have this kind of ability to fight in the rain?]

Massa was filled with doubt; he really couldn't believe it.

"Go north, accelerate at T4 bend, and use T5 Lauda bend as the overtaking point. Extend the cornering arc by riding on the left shoulder, as that side is higher and has no standing water."

"Kill Massa in the fastest and most ruthless way possible, don't give him any chance to breathe or react!"

Odeto then issued team instructions, based on his years of internal data with Ferrari, including overtaking point data compiled from Albert Park circuit in rain conditions.

He originally didn't want to give such instructions directly because it required a high level of skill from the driver.

But Hiroki Sawano's attitude and Xiangbei Chen's speed gave Odeto confidence.

Chinese lad, you have the right to risk your life and challenge the limits!
Another point is that to deal with an experienced veteran like Massa, you have to take advantage of his shock and complacency to strike him decisively. Otherwise, when he realizes Chen Xiangbei's ability to compete in the rain and goes all out to defend and block the car again, it's easy for him to repeat his previous defeat.

Never underestimate the defensive capabilities of a world runner-up!

This time, Chen Xiangbei did not reply. He knew very well what it meant to seize an opportunity that would not come again.

To quickly defeat Massa, one must become an aggressive gambler and seek greater gains.

Only in this way can we quickly catch up with the cars in front and have a chance to reach the podium!

没有丝毫的犹豫，从T3弯道的3档138km/h速度，陈向北在T4弯道逐渐提速到了4档201km/h，并且还在不断的加速过程之中。

Sensing Chen Xiangbei's intention to overtake, Massa immediately switched to a defensive line, determined to make the Chinese newcomer taste defeat once again!

However, Chen Xiangbei will not fall twice in the same way.

He floored the accelerator, accelerated, changed lanes, and rushed toward the left shoulder, using the increased track width to cut corners at high speed and get past the APEX point before Massa.

Using their own methods against them, Chen Xiangbei was even faster this time!

Everything changed in the blink of an eye. Massa stared in disbelief at the HRT race car that suddenly appeared in front of him.

Where does this Chinese newcomer get the confidence and courage to accelerate so drastically in a bend and ride on the shoulder to overtake? Is he betting that his car won't slip and go out of control?

What Massa found even more unacceptable was that Chen Xiangbei won the bet.

Did the goddess of victory ultimately fail to favor her?

(End of this chapter)