Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 245 I'm the Local Tyrant
"Xiang Bei, compared to the last interview, I can clearly feel that you are becoming more and more... confident."

Sha Tong was stunned for a long time before she managed to squeeze out this adjective.

However, this is indeed the truth.

His previous impression of Chen Xiangbei was more like that of an "outcast" who had suffered unfair treatment and hoped to fight back and confront it through his own performance.

The current Chen Xiangbei no longer displays anger and resentment in his words and actions; he is more like a strong person speaking ordinary words.

Even though these words are more radical and flamboyant, they still give people a much more peaceful feeling.

For example, if anyone were to accuse Senna of being dangerous, both his fans and Senna himself would likely only show disdain, without even needing to explain.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei also disdained the outside world's opinions; he would only become more and more willful and do things his own way.

I love seeing you guys annoyed but unable to do anything about it!

"Damn, it's not just confidence, it's downright youthful arrogance."

"What's wrong with being arrogant? I've always liked Chen Xiangbei's style since I was a young man, full of youthful vigor and high spirits!"

"That's why Chen Xiangbei was able to stand on the podium; a driver must have personality."

"Go Chen Xiangbei, I want to have your babies!"

After a brief moment of surprise, the spectators in the stands immediately erupted into a frenzy of celebration.

In reality, nobody likes a pushover. It's just that due to various rules and limitations of reality, people have to use terms like mild-mannered, moderate, low-key, and patient to cover up their weakness.

In fact, these things have nothing to do with F1. None of the drivers who have their names in the F1 Hall of Fame are cowards.

Even someone as taciturn as Kimi Räikkönen can be ruthless when it comes to a standoff.

The philosophy of a top driver is to be the best in the world. The reason why they often show the demeanor of a master with "humility and low profile" is because they have become so powerful that they have no opponents of the same level.

It's nothing more than the strong pitying the weak!

The deafening screams and cheers from outside were so loud that even those in the media center could feel the glass vibrating.

At this moment, Sha Tong realized that Chen Xiangbei's attitude had indeed inadvertently changed the atmosphere among Chinese car fans. Their emotions were now completely stirred up, and they were no longer satisfied with being just participants in the paddock.

Fans hope that Chinese drivers can become the dominant force in the paddock!
"Xiang Bei, as the home race driver, what are your performance goals?"

Sha Tong, unlike some foreign journalists who would stop at nothing for popularity and traffic, immediately ended the somewhat sharp and sensitive topic and instead asked Chen Xiangbei about his expectations for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, a fairly standard question.

"champion!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xiangbei gave his answer.

This time, his goal is no longer to finish in the top three on the podium, but to stand at the top and win the race.

In the realm of Formula 1, the most prestigious and renowned Grand Prix victory is arguably the one at the Monte Carlo circuit in Monaco.

But for Chen Xiangbei, the Donghai International Circuit is his lifelong dream!
As long as one's professional career continues, there will always be only one goal on this track.

That means aiming for the championship!
"Xiang Bei, are you really that confident?"

If this answer had been given during the opening match, it would probably have been a laughing stock.

However, Chen Xiangbei's appearance in the rain at the Australian Grand Prix completely led the world to reassess his abilities.

Rain racing is the only true test of a driver's ability; if he can make it to the podium, the championship is no longer a distant dream.

However, winning the championship requires the right timing, location, and people. Unlike many European home racers, Chen Xiangbei did not have extensive training experience at the Donghai International Circuit. In addition, according to the previous race's estimate, the performance of the HRT car was only the third or fourth fastest in the paddock.

Chen Xiangbei's answer was somewhat too arbitrary.

"That's right, I'm 100% confident!"

The answer remained extremely firm, which elicited a mocking smile from many team members in the paddock.

Even Michael Schumacher, the record holder for the fastest lap time at the East China Sea race, wouldn't dare say he was 100% sure he could win. Yet this young Chinese driver dares to make such boastful claims just because he's a home driver.

Playing at home doesn't guarantee victory, and driver Bei was a bit arrogant.

“Alonso, you can’t let any more Chinese newcomers go this time.”

Ferrari team principal Domenicali offered a reminder to Alonso.

To be honest, he felt somewhat bewildered and dissatisfied that Alonso was easily overtaken by Chen Xiangbei in the previous race.

Given Alonso's current ability, this scene of being overtaken by a rookie should not have happened at all. Moreover, the Ferrari car is faster than the HRT car. As a result, the entire overtaking process was exceptionally smooth, and there was not even a scene of extreme offense and defense.

Afterwards, Ferrari's engineers reviewed the video footage in detail and discovered that Chen Xiangbei's predictions of Alonso's driving style and defensive routes were frighteningly accurate, undoubtedly indicating that the opponent had conducted very in-depth research.

The source of the "leak" can only be former Renault team manager Briatore.

Domenicali doesn't know if this is related to Briatore's role as Alonso's manager, but now that Alonso is a member of the Ferrari team, the interests of the red Prancing Horse must come first.

The word "let go" is both an acknowledgment of Alonso's ability and a reminder to him!
Listening to team leader Domenicali's words, Alonso had no words to express his suffering.

He didn't hold back at all during the defense, but Chen Xiangbei did get past him with ease.

Alonso knew that Briatore was definitely behind this prediction and level of familiarity.

However, to successfully implement the plan, the driver's driving skills are required!

The Chinese newcomers are far better than the team management realized; it wasn't that they carelessly let them pass.

However, Alonso's pride and arrogance prevented him from admitting that he had been outpaced by a freshman's skill. It's like later in life when, after a decline in performance, he habitually blamed the car's performance as inadequate, causing him to fail to achieve good results.

So Alonso nodded with a grim expression and said, "You can't see my taillights from this stop to the north."

"GOOD."

Domenicali was very satisfied with this answer. Ferrari signed Alonso for a high price this season in order to return to its peak.

Similar conversations were also heard in the pit garages of several other teams. The F1 paddock has always been a place of fierce competition where there are too many teams and not enough resources. The rise of the HRT team and Chen Xiangbei will inevitably affect the interests of other teams.

The interviews at the media center continued, but the topic gradually shifted to Chen Xiangbei's personal life and experiences.

After all, this interview was not intended to incite emotions, but rather to allow Chinese viewers, both at the venue and on television, to understand Chen Xiangbei and how the first Chinese F1 driver was born.

With the practice match countdown fast approaching, the brief pre-match interview has come to an end.

As Chen Xiangbei walked from the media center toward the maintenance tunnel, the track director focused the camera on him, giving him a close-up shot.

When Chen Xiangbei's image reappeared on the track's big screen, it was like a surprise guest appearing at a concert, instantly reigniting the emotions of the hundreds of thousands of audience members who had just calmed down.

That youthful, almost childlike face bears the label of the world's most powerful driver and the courage to win the championship.

"Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~!"

It's unclear who started shouting the name, but within seconds the sound echoed throughout the entire track.

This wasn't the first time Chen Xiangbei had heard his name chanted in unison, but it was the first time he had heard hundreds of thousands of people making the same sound, creating an unparalleled shock and impact. Schumacher once said that only at the Monza circuit could he hear the shouts and cheers of the spectators in the stands, even through his thick helmet and the deafening roar of the race car engine.

Chen Xiangbei couldn't understand or imagine it before. After all, for him, the moment the helmet visor was pushed down was equivalent to being isolated from the world. All that accompanied him was the race car he was controlling and the competitors on the track.

Now he felt it; the thunderous cheers and shouts could break through the barriers of his helmet and engine. This was the true home-field atmosphere!
I can't imagine what it will look like when all 200,000 spectators for the main event are present.
When they returned to the pit stop, Chen Xiangbei's race car was warming up, while Trulli's No. 14 race car in the next workshop was still being adjusted, as if it had encountered some difficulties.

Chen Xiangbei approached Trulli, who was already "fully armed," and asked him, "Is there a problem?"

Chen Xiangbei was thoroughly familiar with the various tuning schemes for the East China Sea Grand Prix, and he could easily offer Trulli some help and advice.

Now that the team's number one and number two drivers have been confirmed, the two are no longer competitors, but rather have become teammates.

If the number two driver falls far behind, just like the Red Bull team in later years, then the number one driver will be in a "lose-lose" situation where he is left to fend for himself.

This is also one of the complex and fragile aspects of balancing teammate relationships in F1. It is necessary to ensure that there is a significant difference in ability between the first and second drivers in order to reduce the competitive losses caused by internal strife.

On the other hand, we need to make sure that the second driver is not too bad, otherwise it's like having one less person.

The problem is that the second driver is strong and unwilling to be a wingman, so he will inevitably challenge the number one driver's position.

It's a vicious cycle.

This is why there have been very few suitable second driver partners in history.

Even Schumacher and Barrichello, who are considered a golden duo, don't have a good relationship in private because it's hard to find the right balance.

“The medium downforce scheme is not very suitable for the Donghai International Circuit. I hope to find a balance point in the tuning.”

"Then why not follow the standard low-to-medium pressure approach?"

Chen Xiangbei asked back.

In fact, Odette had been puzzled when he said Trulli was using a medium downforce setup, as this was not the usual setup for the Donghai International Circuit.

However, her relationship with Trulli was somewhat awkward, so she didn't want to ask or interfere rashly.

Otherwise, even if it's well-intentioned, it's often not accepted by others and is more likely to be misunderstood as guidance or showing off.

Now that we've started this conversation, it's a good opportunity to answer your questions.

Trulli looked somewhat embarrassed when Chen Xiangbei asked him the question.

For an F1 driver to admit that he cannot handle the new upgrade kit, especially given that Chen Xiangbei achieved excellent results, is a very humiliating thing.

If it were the old Trulli, even if he had to put on a brave face, he wouldn't have told the truth.

But now, after a moment's hesitation, he replied, "I'm not used to over-switching."

With just one simple sentence, Chen Xiangbei instantly understood his predicament.

"You can try the standard low-to-medium downforce adjustment, and then fine-tune the front and rear springs and anti-roll bars."

"The front wheels are medium to stiff, while the rear wheels use a softer anti-roll bar. At the same time, a negative camber angle of about 4° is used to suppress the car's tail-swing."

"This way, we can maintain the top speed on long straights and also ensure grip and stability on curves to a certain extent."

Trulli's expression was very complicated as he listened to Chen Xiangbei's tuning plan.

He didn't know if the plan would work, but Chen Xiangbei's explanation was so detailed and precise that it didn't seem like he was just talking nonsense.

If his tuning scheme can truly adapt to Trulli's driving habits, it would undoubtedly be a revolutionary change to Trulli's worldview.

After all, he had been driving the Donghai International Circuit for six years, yet his understanding was still inferior to that of a complete novice. What kind of racing talent could Chen Xiangbei achieve such a level?
"Why, you don't believe it?"

Seeing that Trulli did not answer, Chen Xiangbei thought that the other party was doubting him.

Just then, Chen Xiangbei's car was fully warmed up, and the countdown to the first practice session began.

"It's just a practice match anyway, you can give it a try."

Chen Xiangbei didn't have time to explain. After saying a few words, he put on his helmet and sat in the cockpit of the TF110.

"Soter, adjust according to the North's plan."

Trulli gave the race engineer a few instructions.

He didn't doubt Chen Xiangbei; rather, he was having trouble digesting and accepting the information.

And Chen Xiangbei is right, practice matches are meant for testing and fine-tuning, and there's no cost to trying them out.

"Xiang Beijun, your setup is very slippery. Be careful during practice."

Before departure, Hiroki Sawano reminded him that the tuning of Odette could not be changed and only Chen Xiangbei could keep track of it.

From his perspective, this tuning scheme is far too dangerous and completely disregards the safety of the driver.

Is it even more slippery than when it rains?

"This is not."

"That's no problem."

Chen Xiangbei gave Hiroki Zesano an OK sign, then pushed off his racing helmet and stepped on the gas, speeding onto the track.

When the black and orange HRT race car with the number 13 on it pulled out of the station, the eagerly waiting spectators immediately waved their hands, hoping that Chen Xiangbei on the car could see their support.

"It's out! Chen Xiangbei's number 13 race car!"

"I wonder how fast the HRT car will be at this race, and whether we can get pole position."

"It should be very difficult. I would be very satisfied if I could make it into Q3 consecutively."

"But I'm different from you. I hope to see Chen Xiangbei reach the top at this race and become China's true racing god!"

"That's right, making the nickname 'God of Speed' Bei truly deserved!"

Chen Xiangbei couldn't hear the words of the audience, but he could feel the expectations of Chinese fans for him and for Chinese racing from the pairs of arms waving towards him.

Suppressing his inner excitement, Chen Xiangbei tried his best to calmly complete the warm-up process.

When the second lap came to the starting line, Chen Xiangbei floored the accelerator.

There was no need for tuning or adaptation, no need for unfamiliarity with the track. The moment the TF110 race car drove on the Donghai International Circuit, familiar memories from his previous life immediately surfaced in Chen Xiangbei's mind.

Chen Xiangbei knows every single bend, every edge, and even every shoulder of this track like the back of his hand.

In many previous competitions, Chen Xiangbei could only act as a "dragon crossing the river" to suppress the "local snake".

This time, he was the real "local tyrant".

You know it so well, it's like running around in your own living room. What can you do against me?

(End of this chapter)