Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 273 The Change in Team Atmosphere

"Brill, have you ever thought about winning the North Grand Prix?"

Looking at Chen Xiangbei sitting on Vettel and Alonso's shoulders, Renault's sporting manager, Nelson, asked the team leader a question.

Back then, the Renault team, which had the foundation of the "Big Three", was the first to discover Chen Xiangbei's talent and potential during rookie testing, and even extended an olive branch to Chen Xiangbei through connections.

Unfortunately, they ultimately placed their bets on Kubica, hoping that this championship contender, who could rival Hamilton, would lead the Renault team on the road to revival and reclaim their place among the "Big Three".

Kubica is indeed good, but he is somewhat outshone by Chen Xiangbei.

It's hard to say whether the difference lies in the cars themselves or in the drivers.

In at least several encounters, Chen Xiangbei had the upper hand!

Nelson's question undoubtedly implied that he was asking himself whether he regretted it.

Just like when someone asked Sir Williams if he would sign Chen Xiangbei if given another chance.

As a team leader, you cannot admit your mistakes when things are beyond repair.

This serves no purpose other than harming the driver and the team.

"have not thought."

Burrell gave his own answer.

He then added with a wry smile, "Who would have thought that a Chinese newcomer with no prior experience could become a stage champion after just three races?"

"Even Hamilton couldn't accomplish such a feat back then!"

Indeed, perhaps people like Sir Williams, Ross Brown, and Burrell realized that Chen Xiangbei was very talented, but they didn't expect him to be this talented.

Hamilton, who broke countless historical records, only managed to make his rookie season debut on the podium and achieve nine consecutive podium finishes. By the time he won his first race, it was already the second half of the season.

As for Kimi Räikkönen, who made a historic "three-level jump," his performance in the first three games of his rookie season was far from satisfactory.

Chen Xiangbei, a young Chinese man, did it.

Unless one possesses the ability to foresee the future, no one has God's ability to know what is going on.

"Actually, I have thought about it."

Nixon responded with a wry smile.

"I have never seen a newcomer who has tested so quickly in the preseason. North may really become a superstar in the future."

"Is that so? Then let's wait and see."

This time, Burrell didn't refute it; he was also curious about just how strong Chen Xiangbei really was!

Chen Xiangbei was put down on the awards stage, and a reminder to be quiet was announced over the loudspeaker, followed by a very familiar melody.

At the same time, a huge red flag appeared on the LED screen behind Chen Xiangbei.

As the national anthem played, Chen Xiangbei subconsciously uttered the word "Arise," his eyes involuntarily becoming moist.

Why are national team matches often more captivating than club matches?

The point is that you represent not only yourself, but also the motherland behind you.

F1 is a commercial racing series, and Chen Xiangbei is a member of the HRT team.

But the moment he stepped onto the podium, he represented a Chinese driver!
As the last wisp of the melody faded away, the traditional awards ceremony began, with a high-ranking leader serving as the presenter.

In the past, Chen Xiangbei could only be seen on TV, but now he was being gently patted on the shoulder to encourage him.

The trophy for the 10 Chinese Grand Prix is ​​quite unique, featuring a circular main body with flame patterns. It is said to be inspired by the wind-fire wheels of the mythical figure Nezha, which also perfectly captures the imagery of F1 wheels spinning at high speed.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiangbei's artistic talent was not high, and he didn't realize how it resembled the Wind and Fire Wheel. Before he could even warm up the trophy and examine it carefully, a spray of champagne was sprayed at him.

Vettel and Alonso couldn't contain themselves any longer and began a champagne-spraying celebration.

Seeing this, Chen Xiangbei didn't sit idly by. He picked up a champagne glass and threw it to the team members standing below the stage, inviting them to join in.

This gesture of throwing champagne to his teammates was actually one of the traditional celebrations in F1, but it was gradually forgotten as the older generation of drivers retired, and only Alonso still does it now.

At this moment, all the grudges and rivalries from the track have vanished, leaving only pure celebration!
The revelry lasted a long time, and by the time it all came to an end, it was already evening.

Wang Pangzi and Zhou Yanjing's group of classmates left early. Unlike Chen Xiangbei, they were still in their second year of university and had to rush back to school for classes after the weekend.

Chen Xiangbei entrusted his mother, Zhao Yumei, to Sister Xiaoman. She was a local from Donghai and, being a woman, could take his mother around to see the bustling "Magic City".

After the match, Yoshino Hoshino left alone in a very dashing manner, which is very much in line with his usual personality.

However, Hiroki Tozano conveyed a message: he hoped that when they met again, they would be at the pinnacle of the racing world!

Qin Lianjie said goodbye to Cao An and the other man before leaving.

Qin Lianjie originally planned to have a good get-together with Chen Xiangbei, but the team encountered some unexpected problems, and the Chinese Grand Prix was followed immediately by the Korean Grand Prix.

The relocation of the packaging equipment was extremely tight, and Chen Xiangbei simply couldn't spare the time.

At night, the HRT team's pit garage at the Donghai International Circuit was still brightly lit, with the engineering team, including Chen Xiangbei, gathered around a pile of racing car engine parts.

It is the power unit that was just removed from Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car!
During the post-race inspection, the team's engineers found oil stains on the engine and, upon reviewing the ECU (engine control unit), discovered that the sensors had previously issued a warning about a hydraulic leak.

However, during the race, the entire power unit of the race car was under high temperature warning, and the low-priority hydraulic leak warning did not attract the attention of the engineers.

This is similar to oil seepage in the engines of civilian vehicles in later generations; a little bit of seepage is not a big problem.

However, the large area of ​​oil stains found during the post-match inspection indicates that it was far more than just a minor oil seepage.

Another point is that Chen Xiangbei's engine is a newly developed power unit, so theoretically this kind of scenario should not occur.

With no other option, the technicians had to disassemble the race car and thoroughly inspect the steering mechanism, gearbox, and engine. They even used fluorescent agents and X-ray flaw detection methods, ultimately determining that the high temperature and pressure caused the cylinder housing to deform and leak.

When the results came out, everyone in the team looked very grim.

As the old Chinese saying goes, "Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be a harbinger of good fortune."

The deformation of the cylinder housing means either that the casting material is substandard or that a fatal design flaw has been exposed. In either case, the HRT team has no way to eliminate it.

"Bell, it seems that Ferrari's technical team has only delayed the problem, not solved it."

After confirming the cause of the problem, Odette shook his head at Bob Bell, the technical director at the London headquarters, via video call.

This malfunction was beyond the capabilities of the accompanying engineers and technicians, and it was necessary to communicate with the headquarters R&D center.

"The root cause lies in the overpower mode."

After reviewing the data analysis, Bob Bell offered his own insights.

Although the HRT team has made rapid progress in the past six months, its research and development is still focused on aerodynamic kits. They haven't even touched the chassis design, let alone the manufacturing of the power unit.

Perhaps to put it another way, apart from certain factory teams, the vast majority of the dozen or so F1 teams do not meet the threshold for manufacturing power units.

This includes well-known brands such as McLaren and Red Bull.

Even teams at the level of Renault couldn't get into power unit manufacturing in later years and eventually became customer teams.

"So what can we do?"

The team engineer, Mazzola, countered with a question. Since the problem has already arisen, there's no point in dwelling on it further.

Even if they wanted to change engine manufacturers, they would have to wait until next year's new race car.

"Under the premise that the materials and design cannot be changed, the high-power mode should definitely not be abused, unless a new power unit is replaced in one go."

“We have no new power units left, and the Trulli crash will trigger the last set of inventory.”

Odeto replied casually.

The F1 Chinese Grand Prix and the Korean Grand Prix are both located in East Asia and are back-to-back races.

The HRT fleet has prepared two backup power units, which should theoretically be enough.

As a result, plans could not keep up with changes. Chen Xiangbei's engine failure at the Chinese Grand Prix, coupled with Trulli's accident, directly depleted the reserve power unit.

Even without Trulli's crash, the HRT team couldn't afford to change two new power units for every race.

Even without considering productivity issues, the cost alone would be tens of millions of US dollars, not to mention the penalties for frequent power unit replacements.

During this home season, Chen Xiangbei was able to deliver an exceptional performance, single-handedly climbing from eleventh place to the championship.

Can he still do it if he changes to a different track?

The answer is clearly no.

"First, I switched to low-power operation mode. Then I immediately flew to Toyota's headquarters in Japan to communicate with their racing engine department to see if they could provide technical support to solve the problem."

"If that doesn't work, at least we need to get them to increase the power unit's production capacity!"

Bob Bell spoke firmly, saying that HRT's previous strength was limited to mid-tier teams, and they could grit their teeth and accept the instability of the power unit.

After all, mid-to-lower-tier F1 teams have all sorts of flaws and problems, and their antics are increasingly outrageous. A high failure rate of their racing engines is really nothing to worry about.

Just like the Sauber team that is well-known to Chinese people in later generations, the gearbox matching problem could drag on for two seasons, the anti-stalling program could also have problems from time to time, and even a simple tire change bolt getting stuck took several months to resolve.

Other brands like Toro Rosso, Haas, and Williams aren't much better; it's just that Chinese car enthusiasts don't pay much attention to them, or perhaps everyone is used to these antics.

However, all of this changed when Chen Xiangbei won the championship at the Donghai International Circuit. HRT now had the strength and resources to compete for the championship, and could no longer afford to be complacent.

Toyota must take a firm stance on resolving this issue.

"OK, that's all for now."

Odeto nodded.

His decades-long professional career has made him indifferent to racing issues.

Let alone HRT, a "newcomer" that entered the F1 paddock through acquisitions, even top-tier clubs like Ferrari have done countless clownish things in recent years.

McLaren went even further, with instances of mismatched engine and chassis dimensions.

In the pre-Mars rover era, the competition among the teams is no longer about who is stronger.

It's about who makes fewer mistakes!
After finishing the conversation and closing the video call, Odeto turned to Chen Xiangbei and said, "Bei, you should go back and rest. We'll handle this."

F1 races are extremely physically demanding, especially for Chen Xiangbei, who even pulled off a comeback by overtaking another car.

Concerned about the race car, Chen Xiangbei stayed behind to disassemble the parts with the team members.

Now that the issue is basically resolved, there's not much point in Chen Xiangbei staying any longer. He might as well go back to the hotel to rest and recover his strength as soon as possible to prepare for the back-to-back races in South Korea this weekend.

Chen Xiangbei is currently ranked fourth in the overall driver standings, behind only Vettel, Alonso, and Schumacher, and his points are very close to those of the top drivers. He is very likely to overtake them in the next race.

Leading the points standings in his rookie season, and being a Chinese driver at that, is incredibly exciting.

"No, I want to go to the hospital first."

Chen Xiangbei shook his head, declining Odette's suggestion to go to the hotel.

"You want to visit Trulli?"

"Ah."

Even disregarding the fact that Trulli's accident was to help him stop the car, based solely on their teammate relationship, Chen Xiangbei should have gone to the hospital to visit him.

Chen Xiangbei wants to change the conservative and moderate image of Chinese athletes, not to completely abandon etiquette such as friendliness and kindness.

Competition is competition, and life is life; the two should not be confused.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Odette did not refuse this time. As the team leader and chief race engineer, he should also visit his teammates.

After saying that, he turned to look at Briatore.

"are you going?"

"Don't go."

The floral fabric was rejected without hesitation.

He has always been a very free-spirited and genuine person, and doesn't care much about other people's opinions and comments about him.

They have no interest in staging any pretentious "family reunion" dramas!
"As expected of you."

Odeto snorted coldly, then led Chen Xiangbei away.

Medical care for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix has always been provided by Donghai Huashan Hospital, and Trulli naturally received treatment there as well.

When Oddo and Chen Xiangbei arrived, he was already lying in a hospital bed with a thick cast on his right hand, and the race engineer, Soter, was sitting beside him.

Upon seeing Chen Xiangbei and Odette arrive, Trulli looked somewhat surprised. He propped himself up on the bed and sat up, not wanting to expose his weakness to outsiders, especially with a young competitor among them.

After entering, the group greeted each other, and then Odette asked Soter a question.

"How's the injury?"

"Severe bone fracture; doctors advised him to stay away from professional competitions for at least two months."

Upon hearing this reply, the ward fell completely silent.

Everyone present understood what missing two months meant for a veteran player.

Especially his seat, where a third driver is eyeing it covetously.

"Trully, thank you, I owe you a favor."

Chen Xiangbei broke the silence first. He didn't know what to say to comfort him, so he could only say that he owed Trulli a favor.

“You don’t owe me anything. I’m just doing this to carry out the team’s orders.”

Trulli gave a very casual reply, but the two of them knew the real answer.

By blocking Rosberg and allowing Chen to overtake, Chen had effectively completed the team's instructions.

Crashing into Hamilton, helping Chen Xiangbei resolve the biggest threat, was an action completely outside of orders.

Perhaps without realizing it, Trulli had already changed his opinion of Chen Xiangbei, and he was willing to take the initiative to help this young Chinese man.

(End of this chapter)