Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 253 The Home Placement Match is Coming

Chen Xiangbei certainly understood that too many corrections would affect speed.

However, achieving a perfect cornering maneuver is not always easy.

Chen Xiangbei has great racing talent and also puts in extraordinary effort.

But ultimately, he didn't have the same fate as Verstappen, who started karting from a young age and was groomed as a prodigy by Red Bull's youth academy; he couldn't achieve such flawless cornering trajectories.

The only way to maintain one's cornering speed is through constant adjustments, thus avoiding being overtaken by opponents in the cornering braking area.

"Yeah, I'll pay attention."

Chen Xiangbei nodded. Objective factors did exist, but that was not a reason for him to ignore them.

The ultimate speed in racing comes from meticulously refining every detail to achieve a lap time that is just 0.001 seconds faster than the competition.

Trulli was not at all surprised by Chen Xiangbei's frank admission of his shortcomings.

This is another advantage of Chinese newcomers: they don't have the stubbornness and arrogance of most young people. They will learn and absorb anything that is right, without considering anything about saving face.

To be honest, this kind of character is rare and admirable. At least Trulli thinks that as a middle-aged man over thirty, he still can't let go of that ridiculous pride in many things.

Thinking of this, Trulli gave a self-deprecating smile.

Then he said, "Your full-curve tracking braking line was perfect for the T1 and T3 spiral combination corners. May I ask you for advice?"

This is the part that Trulli found most puzzling when watching Chen Xiangbei's in-car first-person perspective video.

It's important to know that this combination of curves is extremely difficult. Not to mention a newcomer running the Donghai International Circuit for the first time, even a veteran who has been running for five or six years would find it difficult to achieve the level of proficiency that Chen Xiangbei possesses.

Trulli even compared Chen Xiangbei's trajectory with Schumacher's record trajectory from 04.

He discovered an astonishing fact: Chen Xiangbei was faster than Schumacher!
To be honest, Trulli was stunned when he saw the result.

Running a simulator a million times is no substitute for driving it on the actual track once.

In competitive sports, being serious, diligent, and hardworking are more of a bonus than a deciding factor.

Many people work hard their whole lives but can't compare to the casual driving of a talent monster like Schumacher or Verstappen.

Chen Xiangbei's cornering line can no longer be explained by his proficiency with the simulator; it's beyond Trulli's comprehension. Could it be that the home team's aura can give him such a cheat code?

"no problem."

Chen Xiangbei readily agreed and sat down next to Trulli, swiping his fingers across the laptop touchpad as he described his understanding of the T1 combination corner.

His ability to achieve perfect racing lines can be attributed to the combined experience of countless genius drivers throughout history.

As the curves overlapped in Chen Xiangbei's mind, the smoothest one was the fastest tangent.

Whether Trulli can understand is beyond Chen Xiangbei's capabilities.

The two spent their lunch break discussing driving techniques. In the afternoon, the Donghai International Circuit, where they waited for the qualifying race, was bustling with activity. A full 200,000 spectators filled the entire paddock, and even the usually empty grass grandstands were now packed with crowds.

On the eve of qualifying, Odeto asked Chen Xiangbei and Trulli as they walked out of the drivers' lounge.

"Are you ready?"

"No problem, I'm at my best."

Chen Xiangbei gave a very affirmative answer.

Even the faint noise outside the P room made him feel a surge of excitement.

"Truly, what about you?"

Odeto wasn't too worried about Chen Xiangbei's condition.

But he still had some concerns about Trulli.

Odeto witnessed the discussion between the two in the drivers' lounge at noon.

This kind of scene is extremely rare for veteran drivers, which means that Trulli is under tremendous pressure.

Heavy pressure often leads to two outcomes.

One type is like Chen Xiangbei, who is clearly stimulated by adrenaline and can feel the excitement of eagerness to try. He looks forward to showing his strength on his home track.

Another type is when the pressure causes mental imbalance; the more you want something, the less likely you are to get it.

Just like the "vicious cycle" often seen among rookie drivers, they try to achieve better results with extreme tuning, but end up crashing and suffering heavy pressure and criticism. Then, in order to prove themselves, they tune even more extreme, until they completely crush themselves!
Trulli's earlier demand for a complete overhaul of the car's setup gave Odette a glimpse of the beginnings of a vicious cycle.

"I'm OK."

Hearing Trulli's answer, Odeto opened his mouth as if to say something but then stopped himself.

He wanted to say something comforting, but the two didn't seem to have a very deep relationship. Moreover, he was in Chen Xiangbei's camp, and there was a conflict of interest between them to some extent.

But as the chief competition engineer, it wouldn't be normal to do nothing.

This is why Odette is essentially a technically skilled player who is only suited to be in the strategy team, and should not be a member of the team's management.

Management needs that kind of hypocrisy that doesn't falter or falter.

"OK, get ready to get on the bus."

Odeto greeted him, but ultimately didn't say anything to comfort him.

He is not a pretentious person, much less a hypocrite.

As a veteran, Trulli should have the ability to adjust himself.

If not, it means you're no longer fit to stay in the F1 paddock!

At 13:58 PM, Chen Xiangbei and Trulli both got into the race car. With the external starter motor spinning, the Toyota engine roared like a dragon awakening.

The numbers on the electronic timing board ticked up second by second. When it reached 14 PM, the exit indicator light turned green, which meant that the three qualifying matches, which would last for one hour, were about to begin!
"Trully, get off the train first."

Odeto immediately gave the team instructions, telling Trulli to start first and do the flying lap.

Although he didn't say anything sentimental or comforting, Odeto did take Trulli's adaptability into account in practice.

Running an extra lap helps you become more familiar with and control the race car.

“COPY.”

After giving a brief reply, Trulli stepped on the gas and sped out of the pit stop.

Chen Xiangbei, on the other hand, remained inactive. His practice lap times had already proven that there was no possibility of being eliminated in Q1, and he could wait until the end of qualifying to run a flying lap.

Of course, there's another purpose to do this: to protect the engine. The high-power mode puts unimaginable strain on the engine's lifespan; just a few laps might push it past the point of engine failure.

Or to put it another way, F1, this "monster" born for the racetrack, pushes its engines to the limit in order to reduce weight, achieve speed and performance.

Even without overpowering, the power unit is often on the verge of failure.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the average failure rate per race in Formula 1 is only around 10% to 20%.

In fact, the failure rate of early F1 cars could be as high as 30% or more!
This is why Proust was given the title "Professor" and was extremely fond of a conservative style.

The reason lies in the early days of F1 racing. In many cases, you could simply finish the race and easily earn points, so why would you risk your life?
Conversely, this also proves Senna's greatness.

He doesn't settle for finishing the race comfortably and getting points; instead, he pursues ultimate speed and defeating his opponents!
Chen Xiangbei sat in the F1 cockpit, looking up at the screen on the wall that displayed the lap times rankings. A Yong and Lei Ge were using hair dryers to actively cool the engine of the TF110 race car.

As time passed, the names of the drivers appeared on the screen, along with their lap times on the flying lap.

The first position prominently displayed Hamilton's name, along with the McLaren team's name.

The later famous "Liu Yiquan" demonstrated the absolute speed brought by his talent, coupled with the top-performing McLaren race car, he could almost always achieve a top-ranking lap time with just a push.

Hamilton's fastest lap time is 1 minute 32.655 seconds, which is not as fast as his own time in the third practice session.

This is quite normal, as the race car drivers are often not able to achieve particularly amazing times in the first qualifying session due to the limited track traffic conditions and rubber grip. Instead, they get faster and faster as the session progresses!

Just about half a minute later, Hamilton's fastest lap was taken by Kubica.

This childhood rival also possesses an absolute talent for speed, but is limited by the performance of Renault racing cars.

While he may not be able to outrun Hamilton in a race to the limit, his fastest lap time is still quite achievable.

Of course, Kubica's top spot didn't last long either, as Vettel, Schumacher, Alonso, and even Barrichello all surpassed him.

The fastest laps were like a whirlwind tour, with drivers changing wildly.

The four major teams are indeed very strong, but in the first half of the season, smaller teams also have the opportunity to challenge and even defeat them.

The reason is that the lag of small and medium-sized teams is more due to their inability to keep up with the large teams in mid-term upgrades.

The prototype car at the beginning of the season was created thanks to a brilliant idea from a genius designer!
可就在第一节排位赛临近尾声的时候，迈凯轮车队的简森·巴顿，以1分32秒577的圈速来到榜首位置，距离舒马赫1分32秒238的赛季记录极其接近。

To be honest, many team members in the paddock were quite surprised when this lap time was achieved.

Although Button won the world championship in 09, his absolute speed on a single lap was not outstanding.

Furthermore, in the new season of 10, Barton's performance was mediocre, completely overshadowed by his teammate Hamilton, and he failed to demonstrate the strength expected of a defending champion.

Most outsiders believe that Button won the championship by riding the Brown GP Mars Rover and was destined to be a flash in the pan.

As a result, he unexpectedly stood up during the East China Sea Grand Prix.
Chen Xiangbei was the only one who was not surprised; his expression remained completely calm.

Because only he knew that in history, the East China Sea Grand Prix champion was won by Button in the rain for 10 seasons!
Every driver has their own preferred tracks and environments. Button is very good at racing in the rain, almost comparable to top GOTA-level drivers.

He is also skilled at the Donghai International Circuit, where he won the championship in the 09 season.

At that time, however, the outside world mostly thought that he relied on his car.

Now that it's time to put all the pressure on in the qualifying rounds, Barton certainly won't hold back any longer. It's time to pull out all the stops and prove his status as the defending champion!
"North, prepare to leave the station."

Odette's voice interrupted Chen Xiangbei's reverie; the first qualifying session was already counting down, with only one flying lap remaining.

"receive."

After giving a simple reply, Chen Xiangbei saw the green light for departure turn on and then stepped on the gas, speeding out of the garage.

When the black and orange HRT race car number 13 appeared on the main track, thunderous applause and cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.

"Chen Xiangbei is out! Good luck!"

"Chen Xiangbei secured pole position, proving that Chinese drivers are just as capable as anyone else!"

"Bei, the former Chinese driver, and Bei, the future world racing god!"

"Go for it, heading north!"

The cheers were deafening, and even the commentators Li Bing and Sha Tong, sitting in the studio, felt waves of sound coming from them.

"As expected of the home team driver, Xiang Bei is really popular at the Donghai International Circuit."

Sha Tong smiled and gave an opening speech. He was originally a sports reporter, and given the lack of racing commentators at CCTV, he became a guest commentator for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix.

"The spectacle of 200,000 spectators at the home stadium is rare even on a global scale. This scene reminded me of the time when Xiang Bei ran the Grand Prix in Australia, and the whole stadium went crazy for him."

Li Bing replied with emotion, saying that he had never imagined he would see Chinese drivers racing on the Donghai Circuit so soon.

Chen Xiangbei has truly created a miracle and made history for Chinese motorsports!
"The lap times on the northbound practice were very fast. Although I was overtaken by several drivers at the last moment, the speed difference remained within a narrow range of 0.2 seconds."

"Old Sha, what are your predictions for the qualifying results in the north?"

After a brief moment of reflection, Li Bing steered the conversation toward the competition.

"I hope we can make it into the top five."

It is Chen Xiangbei as an individual who is being promoted, not the entire group.

As a traditional CCTV host, Sha Tong made a very cautious prediction and did not place too high expectations on it.

"Old Sha, you've interviewed Xiang Bei twice. If he were to answer this question, what kind of answer do you think he would give?"

Hearing Li Bing's question, Sha Tong couldn't help but smile.

Chen Xiangbei's confident and spirited face, and his resounding words during the interview, seemed to echo in my ears.

Being submissive is not his style; a sharp and assertive image is what he desires.

Even if we lose, we should at least be arrogant for once!
"Pole position, Chen Xiangbei's only goal is first place!"

Sha Tong said this firmly, believing that if Chen Xiangbei were to answer, he would give the same answer as him.

"It really fits Chen Xiangbei's personality; if you have the ability and achievements, you should flaunt them."

"Let's wait and see if Chen Xiangbei, the Chinese driver, can secure this historic pole position in the F1 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session!"

As Li Bing uttered those words, Chen Xiangbei had already completed his warm-up lap, and with a full-throttle dynamic start, he crossed the starting line to begin his own racing lap.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei's mind was not filled with many distracting thoughts, only focused on the racetrack in front of him.

He will show the world the speed of China!

(End of this chapter)