Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 260 Sounding the Horn of Attack

Schumacher stared at Chen Xiangbei.

Chen Xiangbei also looked through the rearview mirror at the Mercedes Silver Arrow that was gradually receding inside.

To be honest, he didn't feel much joy at that moment.

Just like a dream that isn't ridiculed has no value in being realized.

A victory without confrontation has far less of an emotional impact.

Chen Xiangbei knew that Schumacher's performance in the Australian rain race was over, and his physical condition did not allow him to run at his peak in two consecutive races.

Chen Xiangbei did not expect that Schumacher would be in such poor condition.

It's so bad that its starting reaction time is much slower than yours!
Inside the Mercedes team's pit garage, the team members were all stunned by what they saw, as if they couldn't believe their eyes.

"Even Schumacher couldn't stop it at the start?"

Team CEO Nick Fry muttered to himself, “It’s understandable if we can’t stop Alonso or Hamilton, but how can Chen Xiangbei, a complete rookie, overtake Schumacher at the start?”
"normal."

Ross Brown replied casually, though there was a hint of bitterness in his tone, but he didn't show much surprise.

It can only be said that Daimler Group's management has a very poor understanding of motorsport and is completely unaware of the fluctuations in drivers' performance.

The damage to the nervous system is most pronounced at the start of a race. While ordinary team engineers are unaware of the internal workings, Fry clearly understands what happened to Schumacher and is still able to ask such a question.

It wasn't that Frey was ignorant; rather, it was because the racing legend's past glorious achievements had left such a deep impression on the outside world. He was like the Prancing Horse flag fluttering on various tracks, always standing tall.

Now, Frye's memories are in stark conflict with reality, and he simply refuses to believe it.

In contrast to the Mercedes team's disbelief, the audience was in a frenzy.

"Is Chen Xiangbei really that strong? To the point that even Schumacher couldn't stop him?"

"This is an exaggeration, an absolute exaggeration. Am I dreaming?"

"I thought Schumacher would be blocking the way, and Chen Xiangbei wouldn't even be able to get into the points zone. But this is what happened?"

"If he continues to grow at this rate, 'supernova' wouldn't even be enough to describe Chen Xiangbei; he'll become a superstar in the racing world!"

"That's right, I've always believed he would become the racing legend, Bei!"

Amidst the uproar and commotion, for many viewers who don't follow racing closely, Schumacher was an invincible force in the F1 paddock.

Now that Chen Xiangbei has surpassed the "god," can a Chinese driver become the next "god"?

No one knows the answer yet, but the possibility has gone from zero to a quietly sprouting hope.

On the track, Chen Xiangbei was not satisfied with merely overtaking Schumacher. He shifted his gaze from the rearview mirror and immediately locked onto Garrison Bika.

This most dazzling Polish driver will ultimately be overshadowed by the brilliance of the Chinese driver!

The TF110 race car accelerated wildly, showcasing the advantages of its low downforce tuning and aerodynamic layout. It also pushed the throttle at full speed on the long straight, and Chen Xiangbei was gradually closing the gap with Kubica.

In fact, the absolute performance of Renault engines is not bad, otherwise the Red Bull RB6 would not have been the champion car for 10 seasons in history.

However, the chaotic R&D team, conservative design thinking, and poor aerodynamic components dragged this top-of-the-line power unit down to sixth place, with absolutely no hope of competing for the championship.

However, the speed of a car is relative; the speed of a driver is absolutely different.

Despite driving such a slow car, Kubica managed to consistently score points in Q3 and outperform his teammate Petrov in all three races, showcasing his talent and potential as a driver from the golden generation.

It's not surprising that Ferrari took a liking to it early on.

However, this universally acknowledged genius driver was defeated by Chen Xiangbei in the opening race, which led to Kubica being criticized for a long time.

After all, at that time, Chen Xiangbei was seen by outsiders as a complete Chinese rookie who had even bought his F1 driver seat through sponsorship. Kubica couldn't even stop a driver like that.

Now that the two sides are facing off again, Kubica's face is filled with determination as he looks at the black and orange HRT race car behind him.

This time, he won't let Chen Xiangbei surpass him!

Entering the corner from T1, Kubica, who was familiar with Chen Xiangbei's overtaking tactics, also opted for delayed heavy braking.

Then, risking a violation, he braked and changed lanes, forcibly blocking Chen Xiangbei's cornering line to ensure that the other party had no chance to overtake.

It must be admitted that people can't teach you everything, but you can learn something from experience.

After the defeat in the opening match, it was clear that Kubica had done a lot of homework on Chen Xiangbei and had a thorough understanding of his driving habits.

Kubica's aggressive defensive stance allowed Schumacher, who had previously been overtaken by Chen Xiangbei, to catch up.

The racing legend may no longer be at his peak, but his fighting spirit remains!
The idea that Schumacher would concede defeat early is simply not going to work.

"The line-cutting at T1 was spectacular, with Alonso overtaking Vettel to take the lead in the front row battle."

"Rosberg was very aggressive and intended to take on Webber head-on, but he was ultimately unsuccessful due to the performance gap between Mercedes and Red Bull."

"Hamilton had a very fast start; he overtook Jason Button on the long straight. Has the defending champion's form declined so quickly?"

Li Bing continued to explain the starting situation in the paddock until the director pointed the camera at the midstream group, which happened to capture the scene of Kubica forcefully blocking Chen Xiangbei.

"Kubica is a very strong and promising driver. He lost to Chen Xiangbei in the Bahrain Grand Prix and foreign media reports that he has been trying to get revenge."

"Now Kubica is blocking Chen Xiangbei's way again. Will he get his revenge at T1, or will Chen Xiangbei defend his home turf? Let's wait and see!"

Despite saying that, Li Bing was not confident about Chen Xiangbei's overtaking maneuver on the T1 bend.

On one hand, Kubica is quite strong, and on the other hand, the opponent's defensive will is very determined.

On the other hand, the T1 curve is currently too congested, leaving very little room for overtaking, not to mention that Schumacher is lurking behind.

If Chen Xiangbei is not careful, Schumacher will reap the benefits.

Never underestimate this greatest F1 driver in history's ability to seize opportunities!
Chen Xiangbei didn't have many good opportunities to overtake Garrison when entering the corner, but facing a situation with wolves in front and tigers behind, he maintained an extremely calm attitude and did not rush to attack rashly.

His trump card has never been in regular corner entry, but in cornering!
Kubica, prepare for the tricks I've prepared for Schumacher.

As race cars cut the line at the T1 combination bend, Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car accelerated inside the bend.

The difficulty of full-curve braking lies not in handling. To put it bluntly, once you become an F1 driver, there won't be any driving skills that are beyond your control. Otherwise, the difference would be far more than just seconds; it could be minutes over the entire track. Unless you're a genius like Yuuji Ide who has never actually driven an F1 car.

Driving skills are like a textbook; they're there for F1 drivers to learn. But how to apply those skills on the track is where a driver's talent and ability truly come into play.

Chen Xiangbei's understanding of the T1 combination corner is, without exaggeration, superior to all drivers of this era, including the legendary Michael Schumacher.

Kubica had absolutely no chance of being stopped on this extremely difficult corner.

The combination of speed and handling created an extremely precise line, with Chen Xiangbei using an almost eerie posture, like a black ghost, as the front of his car passed over the Kubica's rear wing in the bend.

Before the other side even realized what was happening, Chen Xiangbei continued to increase his speed in the bend. The two race cars were like two arcs cutting through the sky. The inner corner was clearly shorter and required less grip.

But the outer curve is faster, and it completely overtakes the other side before the next bend in the opposite direction.

【what happened? 】

If we're talking about the opening match, Kubica understands that he lost because of the tire disadvantage.

This time, he didn't even understand how he lost!

He took control of the inner cornering line and didn't leave Chen Xiangbei much space on the outside, while maintaining a balance between grip and speed, constantly teetering on the edge of tire slippage.

Why was Chen Xiangbei able to overtake at an even faster speed?

Understanding where you went wrong allows you to correct your mistakes and win next time.

When you can't even find the cause, it's like not knowing how to win!
Before the crash, Kubica was very confident and proud, believing that the only thing separating him from becoming a world champion was a fast enough car.

But now he has some doubts: is he really inferior to Chen Xiangbei?
Kubica didn't understand the reason, but Schumacher, who was following behind Chen Xiangbei, saw it clearly.

To be honest, Schumacher felt more "pain" at being overtaken at the start than anything else.

Time flies, and nothing can withstand the erosion of time.

But at this moment, he was more shocked by Chen Xiangbei's driving skills!

The first driver to achieve full-curve tracking braking control on the Donghai International Circuit was Schumacher himself; it can be said that all those who followed were imitators.

No one knew better than him how to navigate the T1 combination corner, and no one could run it faster than Schumacher!

But just now, Schumacher saw a completely new cornering line that was faster and smoother than his own.

Simply optimizing the cornering line is already impressive enough, but Chen Xiangbei also achieved perfect coordination of the throttle, with the tire grip just on the verge of spinning, as if pressing down even a little bit more would cause it to slip.

The Chinese newcomer is surprisingly familiar with the home track and possesses such solid fundamentals.

Breaking the track record and securing pole position was no accident; the whole world underestimated him!
"Great job, Chen Xiangbei!"

"He overtook to eighth place right from the start with the T1 combination corner, it was so exciting to watch!"

"Kubica is no match at all; the racing god Bei is truly terrifying!"

"Speed ​​on, Chen Xiangbei!"

The exciting overtaking maneuvers and intense offensive and defensive battles gave the Chinese spectators in the stands their first taste of speed and passion, and the allure of Formula One racing.

It's not just about running laps on a track; it's the pinnacle of technology and industry on this planet!
Of course, some drivers can display exceptional driving skills, while others lack this absolute control.

The extremely high top speed on the long straight, coupled with the congestion caused by several cars cutting in front of the corner, resulted in Force India driver Yuz and Virgin Racing driver Grassi failing to brake in time and crashing into the gravel run-off area.

Furthermore, due to excessive speed, the car bottomed out and spun freely. To avoid overheating and causing an accident, the two had no choice but to shut down the engine and retire from the race, waiting for a tow truck to remove the car.

In addition, Sauber's de la Rosa and Toro Rosso's Buemi collided while vying for the finish line, resulting in varying degrees of damage to the front wing and sidepods. They will have to pit for replacements or repairs on the next lap.

Based on the extent of the injury and the time wasted, it is highly likely that he will choose to withdraw from the competition early.

In other words, just one T1 turn caused four cars to retire from the race, making the Donghai International Circuit far more difficult and dangerous to drive than imagined!
The chaos among the rear drivers did not affect the fierce battle among the front drivers.

After the T3 bend, Chen Xiangbei came up behind Barrichello, who was in seventh place, looking like he was eyeing him menacingly.

"Barrichello, watch out for defense, North is very fast."

The race engineer Ross's voice came through the headset. Normally, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to issue a warning, let alone when the pursuer was a rookie driver.

Despite his age, Barrichello still maintained his world third-place finish last year and was very close to the first and second place drivers in points. He was the kind of driver who could make a comeback if he won just one more race.

However, Chen Xiangbei's overtaking maneuver just now was indeed a bit too aggressive.

To describe it using a Chinese poem, it's like a tiger swallowing up ten thousand miles!

Sir Williams, sitting next to Barrichello, looked very serious. He had high expectations for Barrichello at this race, not just for him to score points for the team, but also for him to compete for a podium finish.

Before Barrichello could even get going, he was overtaken by driver North, which was truly hard to accept.

Including Trulli, who actively blocked the car, Chen Xiangbei, this young Chinese driver, overtook three drivers in three corners. Will Barrichello become the fourth?
"Boss, Bei is really fast."

Williams' chief game engineer, Parr, couldn't help but remark.

In his more than ten years of professional career, he has never seen such a fast rookie driver. Even the so-called super geniuses Raikkonen and Hamilton did not show such terrifying overtaking ability in their third race of their rookie season.

If it were starting from the back of the grid, that would be one thing, but to overtake top drivers like Schumacher and Kubica is another.

Even taking into account the home track advantage, it still doesn't quite describe Chen Xiangbei's speed; it's truly astonishing.

"Grandpa said that Bei is a super genius in the world of motorsports!"

Emily, forgetting she was in the Williams team's pit bay, praised Pal with extreme pride in response to his remarks.

Only after she spoke and felt the strange looks from the team members did she realize that her words were somewhat inappropriate. She clicked her tongue instinctively and immediately shut up.

Of course, Sir Williams wouldn't take the younger generation's words to heart.

His eyes were fixed on the broadcast camera. Chen Xiangbei was fast, but surpassing Barrichello wouldn't be so easy.

This is the strongest number two driver in history.

Without Schumacher, Barrichello would have won more than one world championship!
(End of this chapter)