Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 247 The Potential to Dominate the Track

"FUCK, is the lap time really that fast?"

The first person to make a sound was Briatore, who was eager for Chen Xiangbei to run at an astonishing speed.

He knew very well that Chen Xiangbei had never participated in simulator testing, let alone raced a Formula One car at the Donghai International Circuit. Logically, he shouldn't be able to achieve any amazing results.

Since that's the case, we have to resort to some extraordinary measures.

For example, extreme adjustments, or provoking Chen Xiangbei's mentality.

Humans are not machines. Even Verstappen, who is closest to a machine, still has moments of fluctuating performance, and even has moments of mental breakdown leading to crazy behaviors like deliberately crashing his car.

Especially for those T1 and T2 level drivers, who have good speed, it depends even more on their form to perform.

For example, players like Ricciardo, Albon, and Perez can compete for the podium when they're in good form, but when they're not, they're just sitting on the sidelines. Their performance fluctuates greatly depending on the time they're in and the car they're driving.

Briatore was all or nothing, hoping to squeeze Chen Xiangbei's potential to the extreme, either to the podium or even to the top, or to completely lose control of the car and cause some trouble.

A result of around tenth place, neither high nor low, doesn't really help commercial interests. Mid-tier group drivers often don't get much screen time after a race, so it's better to have a big race!
Drivers like Ma Zeping and Latifi have left a much stronger impression on fans than many mid-table drivers.

Sometimes, increasing influence doesn't necessarily require positive feedback; "black fame" is still fame.

Just like Chen Xiangbei faced various objections in Europe and even became the "public enemy of the track" in the eyes of many people, he became more and more popular and became known to everyone. Even his haters focused their attention on him when watching the race.

The result completely overturned Briatore's expectations; it was more like a shock than a surprise!
As a super team principal in the paddock, and having personally trained two GOAT-level drivers, what kind of super talents hasn't Briatore seen?

No matter how gifted one is, it's impossible to transcend the realm of logic.

To achieve a lap time that crushes Hamilton in real life, relying solely on prior simulator training, using a car he had never driven before and a track he had never run on, is almost beyond the reach of human talent.

Briatore said that, in terms of his performance as a rookie, Hamilton surpassed Schumacher and Alonso. This guy is the truly undisputed super genius driver of all time.

Chen Xiangbei's pole-sitter-level performance on the first lap of practice was truly unbelievable!
"Sho Mizutani, confirm the data with the track control center."

After a brief moment of distraction, Odeto gave Mizutani a word of advice, saying that he felt the lap time was abnormal and that there was a high probability that the monitoring equipment was malfunctioning.

"Received, Team Leader Odeto."

Sho Mizutani immediately called the track control center and asked them to retest the monitoring equipment signal. The answer he received was that there was no problem!

"Team Leader Odette, everything on the track is working properly."

Upon hearing this reply, Odeto swallowed hard, unsure of what to say.

Hiroki Sawano, who was standing next to him, spoke up: "Turulli has completed the warm-up lap and is now on his first lap. His result can be used as a reference."

That's right, the best comparison in the F1 paddock has never been any rival.

Even under Formula One standards, two teams cannot build identical race cars.

Only teammates can provide valuable insights!
Trulli's delayed setup resulted in a slower start, and he's only now getting a dynamic start to his high-speed run.

He will also speed up during this lap to test the limits of the new upgrade kit. As long as the lap times of both sides are not significantly different, it is very likely that the TF110 race car has achieved an unexpected breakthrough in performance.

Meanwhile, on the other side, McLaren team principal Whitmarsh was speechless for a long time after seeing Chen Xiangbei's lap time.

No one knows better than him how valuable a time of 1 minute 32.799 seconds is.

Hamilton's fastest lap time on the simulator is less than a second faster!
It's important to know that simulator lap times are often much faster than actual track lap times.

Because simulators are not afraid of vehicle speed and there is no risk of injury or death, mistakes can be corrected at any time, just like playing a video game, and drivers do not have any extra psychological burden.

Many curves that you wouldn't dare to go full throttle in real life, you can do without problems in the simulator with DRS enabled. You can just crash and move on to the next game.

"It's impossible for him to run that fast..."

After a long while, Whitmarsh murmured those words.

Seeing his old friend's shocked expression, Ross Brown gave a helpless smile.

"Your reaction is just like mine used to be."

"Back then, I drove a BGP001 virtual race car with parameters that I had never driven before in the simulator. I brought up the Donghai International Circuit map and ran a few laps. My speed was comparable to that of the superstar Vettel."

"You have to understand, he was a Renault-level driver back then!"

"what?"

Upon hearing Ross Brown's words, Whitmarsh could hardly believe his ears.

Vettel and Hamilton can be considered the twin stars of the super rookie duo in recent years. Many long-standing F1 rookie records were broken by the two of them, resulting in epoch-making progress.

Without a doubt, the first decade of the 21st century was a decade of F1 genius.

Could Chen Xiangbei's speed during his time at Renault be comparable to Vettel's?

"Otherwise, why would I have suggested skipping grades in the north?"

Ross Brown knew this was unbelievable; he probably wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

That's the truth; Chen Xiangbei did it.

So when the media relentlessly criticized Chen Xiangbei for trying to piggyback on Kimi Räikkönen's fame, Ross Brown would just smile indifferently.

Only he knew best how terrifying this guy's talent was, no less than Raikkonen's!
"Could it be that he is particularly familiar with the Donghai International Circuit?"

Whitmarsh offered a hypothesis: drivers often prefer their home track, and simulators also habitually switch to the home track map.

Over time, you'll become even better at it.

"If I had to find a reason, perhaps."

Ross Brown did not argue.

It is an indisputable fact that drivers are more familiar with their home track.

However, the problem is that just because you are familiar with something doesn't mean you can definitely achieve faster lap times or better results.

Otherwise, all the race winners would be the home team drivers.

No matter how many times Chen Xiangbei practiced on the simulator, he had never driven the Donghai International Circuit, and that was undisputed.

Aside from the home advantage, the only reason for such a speed is unparalleled racing talent!

A little over a minute passed quickly, and Trulli's lap time was displayed on the screen.

A time of 1 minute 35.331 seconds is considered a passing standard for practice. However, with Chen Xiangbei's outstanding performance setting a high bar, this lap time seems far from impressive.

"How much slower should moderate downforce theoretically be?"

Odeto immediately asked the data analyst, Sho Mizutani, a question.

"Around 0.2."

The biggest impact of moderate downforce is the difference in top speed on long straights, but it can be recovered by gaining better grip in corners.

Theoretically, the difference is at most 0.2, so the difference won't be too big.

Upon hearing this answer, Odeto began to calculate silently in his mind.

With a tuning difference of 0.2, a home advantage of 0.2, and a boost retention of around 0.5, a lap time difference of less than one second is normal.

Trulli is now a full 1.5 seconds slower.

Don't underestimate the difference of just 0.5 seconds. In F1 qualifying, it makes a world of difference. It could mean one person is eliminated in Q1 and the other advances to Q3!

"That lap time is a bit outrageous. I wonder how much of his strength Bei used."

Hiroki Sawano asked, "Even if Chen Xiangbei deliberately pushes things forward, there is still theoretically room for improvement."

Could it be that there's a possibility of breaking Schumacher's track record?

As soon as this question was posed, this crazy idea popped into the minds of the crew members.

Schumacher set his lap record in 04 with a V8 engine. If Chen Xiangbei can break his track record, then pole position is practically guaranteed.

To start from pole position in the third official race, and with a Chinese driver at that, would have been unimaginable in the past and would be a rare breakthrough in the long history of F1.

Standing at the back of the pit lane, Perez overheard the conversation among the crew members and watched Chen Xiangbei's lap time. For a moment, his resolve crumbled.

It's important to know that Perez's goal has never been to obtain a full driver's seat.

Since it was already a foregone conclusion, Trulli was destined to be eliminated.

His goal is to take the number one driver position at HRT and become the pride of Mexico!
Later, at the peak of his career, Perez attempted to challenge Verstappen's championship status, but the result was disastrous. This led to a loss of mental balance and a precipitous decline in his performance, ultimately igniting the fuse that led to his departure from the team.

But how can you know if you'll succeed if you don't try?

Moreover, Perez, who is only twenty years old, is also in the prime of his youth and is unwilling to accept the fate of being the second driver or even the wingman!
Perez knew Chen Xiangbei was not weak, but he didn't expect him to be this strong.

Is this exaggerated speed only seen on the home track, or is it a god-like lap with full force, or is it just Chen Xiangbei's average level of hard skills?
Everyone wanted to know the answer, so Odeto pressed the call button.

"Bei, are you still planning to push it?"

"Hmm, the race car feels great, the low downpressure tires aren't wearing too much wear, I'm planning to push it for another lap."

Chen Xiangbei's tone carried an inexplicable excitement, perhaps because his dream of two lifetimes had finally come true, and he could hardly contain his desire to race wildly on the Donghai International Circuit.

"OK, after the cooling circle is finished, you can push it one more circle."

Odeto tried his best to reply in a normal tone, not wanting Chen Xiangbei to realize his intentions and excitement.

In most cases, the first practice session is used for car tuning. Since Chen Xiangbei felt it was good, it meant that there was little point in making changes, and the second practice session could be used to set up the qualifying settings in advance.

With Trulli's shared data this time, Chen Xiangbei no longer needed to test the tire project and heavy-duty long-distance oil tests separately, giving him much more time.

The track was filled with the roar of engines, but inside the HRT team's pit garage, it was eerily quiet.

No one made a sound; all eyes were fixed on Chen Xiangbei's in-car monitor. They wanted to figure out whether the lap time was a coincidence or inevitable!

TF110 once again sped across the starting line. When the team members focused their attention on Chen Xiangbei's control, they discovered an even more terrifying reality: Chen Xiangbei had almost perfectly replicated the previous racing line, including full-curve tracking braking.

The braking and rev-matching in the curves were perfectly timed, making it appear to outsiders like skating smoothly without any hesitation.

This kind of precise control is not just a display of skill, but more like an aesthetic, pleasing to the eye!

In fact, it wasn't just comfortable in the eyes of outsiders; Chen Xiangbei himself also enjoyed driving it immensely.

His full-curve tracking braking didn't actually involve applying too much braking force; he relied more on adjusting the throttle to control speed. This technique was successfully refined by numerous drivers, including Verstappen, over time.

It can be said that Chen Xiangbei's ability to achieve amazing lap times is partly due to his familiarity with and talent for the Donghai International Circuit.

On the other hand, he stands on the shoulders of giants.

Chen Xiangbei's masterful control, which transcends time, combines the strengths of many top drivers, making him a complete and well-rounded individual!
Another minute or so passed, and Chen Xiangbei's practice lap time reappeared on the big screen.

Not only did it replicate the previous "miracle," it even ran faster than before.

1 minute 32.422 seconds, just 0.2 seconds away from the track record!
The answer is obvious: Chen Xiangbei's amazing lap time was not accidental; it was an inevitable result.

"Holy crap, are practice lap times really this fast?"

One spectator couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, recalling that practice sessions were mostly used to test car setups and rarely resulted in exaggerated lap times.

"I don't know, but it seems to be the fastest lap time right now. Chen Xiangbei is pretty impressive."

A person next to him replied that due to the national media's publicity campaign and the fact that it was China's first F1 driver's home race, there were actually many spectators in the paddock who didn't know much about racing.

They came to the scene to support Chen Xiangbei out of simple emotions.

"It's more than just impressive, it's close to the track record. I have a feeling Chen Xiangbei is going to take pole position!"

At this point, a more professional car enthusiast provided the answer.

Chen Xiangbei's practice session speed was already at the level of his pole position lap time over the years, so theoretically he should be even faster in qualifying.

Unless the HRT team pulls something out of the ordinary and gets an overpowered engine with extremely low fuel consumption, setting some impressive lap times.

"If we can get pole position, wouldn't we witness a miracle?"

"Not just witnessing, Chen Xiangbei himself is a miracle!"

The noise on the track grew louder, and the team members in the pit lane all gasped in shock.

Odeto, in particular, was dissatisfied that Chen Xiangbei had become lax in the nearly two weeks since returning to China.

It now seems that Chen Xiangbei was not exaggerating. This guy's control over the Donghai International Circuit far exceeded expectations, and it can be said that he has truly achieved an absolute home advantage.

If this trend continues, Chen Xiangbei will be able to dominate the track in qualifying!

(End of this chapter)