Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 274 Introducing a Chinese Technology Team

Chen Xiangbei wasn't one to be sentimental either, so since Trulli was unwilling to admit it, there was no need for him to dwell on it.

Due to a lack of personal acquaintance, Odeto and Trulli didn't have much to talk about and could only exchange a few polite words from the perspective of the team leader.

Just as he was about to leave after the visit, race engineer Sott couldn't help but ask, "Team Principal Odeto, will Trulli have a replacement driver?"

This is the key and core issue. Trulli and Briatore are already at odds, and with Perez backed by the wealthy Mexican telecommunications company, his two-month recovery period could very well be over.

If the Italian scoundrels were to act even more shamelessly, a "killing" scenario of terminating the contract might actually occur.

What Soter really wanted to know was whether Trulli's position was secure.

"Perez will come on as a substitute; he should focus on recovering from his injury first."

Odeto did not give a definite answer, or rather, he was unable to answer it.

Whether to terminate a driver's contract is a matter that the team leader can only advise on; the real decision rests with the team's management.

Of course, there is another deciding factor, and that is Perez's performance.

If this Mexican rookie's performance far surpasses Trulli's in the first three games, then the final result is self-evident.

If Perez fails to adapt to F1 racing, he will receive a two-month trial period, just like other rookies who have come and gone from the paddock.

"I get it, thank."

Sote nodded, knowing that his question was somewhat unnecessary.

Chen Xiangbei and the others waved goodbye, but when they reached the door of the ward, he stopped.

He turned and said, "Truly, I look forward to fighting alongside you again."

Upon hearing this, Trulli was first taken aback, then felt an indescribable sense of relief and emotion, and even his nose tingled with tears.

His reputation in the paddock was not good. In his early years, he competed with Jenson Button, in his middle years with Alonso, and later, after joining the Toyota team, he had an unpleasant relationship with Ralf Schumacher.

In addition to competition among teammates, he also had falling out with previous managers or team leaders.

Impulsive, fiery, and reckless—these are perhaps the defining characteristics of his career.

After more than a decade of professional career, this was the first time he had ever heard a teammate express their desire to fight alongside him again.

Trulli did not answer, but simply nodded slightly to Chen Xiangbei.

After visiting Trulli and returning to the hotel, Chen Xiangbei took a shower and went straight to sleep. The Chinese Grand Prix was his first race win, and also the most stressful race he had ever faced.

This pressure isn't about physical or driving skills, it's about mental stress!

No matter how confident and flamboyant Chen Xiangbei may appear to the outside world, there is never a fixed answer in motorsports.

Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships—any one of these can lead to unexpected events.

Just like before the "Red vs. Blue" battle between Ferrari and Renault, there was also the "A Song of Ice and Fire" between Raikkonen and Schumacher, but Raikkonen suffered a crushing defeat and failed to shake the Prancing Horse dynasty established by Schumacher.

In the five years that Raikkonen worked with McLaren, did he really have no chance at all? Was there really such a big difference in their driving skills?
Actually no.

At his peak, Raikkonen may not have been as well-rounded as Schumacher, but he was by no means without a chance of winning.

He won the world runner-up title twice, in 03 and 05, and in 03 he lost to Schumacher by two points.

The reason for the loss was that McLaren's stability was far inferior to Ferrari's at the time, and engine failures caused him to retire from three races.

Without these problems, Ferrari's Prancing Horse dynasty might not have lasted until Alonso, and would have ended prematurely under Raikkonen.

To sum it up with an old Chinese saying, it's all about timing, luck, and fate.

No matter how confident Chen Xiangbei was, he couldn't guarantee that he would win the championship, let alone win it after being penalized and demoted ten places!

Friends and family, 200,000 home fans, and hundreds of millions of Chinese viewers in front of their TVs—all these are invisible pressures for Chen Xiangbei. He doesn't want to disappoint the outside world on his home turf.

When his tense nerves finally relaxed, Chen Xiangbei was naturally able to get a good night's sleep.

When Chen Xiangbei woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. When he arrived at the restaurant as usual, there were no team members present, let alone a post-race "breakfast meeting".

Chen Xiangbei thought he had gotten up late, but after breakfast he looked around the hotel and still couldn't find any of his team members, not even Briatore.

It wasn't until almost noon that Hiroki Sawano hurriedly returned from outside.

"Sawano, where are the team members?"

Chen Xiangbei asked, "If you're going to do anything, you should take me with you, right?"

"Everyone rushed to the track early to pack up the equipment. We spent a lot of time disassembling the race car yesterday. If we can't finish transferring the equipment by tonight, we won't be able to keep up with the FIA's transport fleet."

"Oh~~!"

Chen Xiangbei nodded in sudden realization.

Although China and South Korea are practically neighboring countries, they do not have a direct land route and cannot be transported by road like in Europe.

Missing the FIA's group charter flight will cause equipment relocation costs to skyrocket.

"Where is Manager Briatore?"

"I don't know. He went out a long time ago. He was probably discussing some business cooperation."

Hiroki Sawano shrugged. Only making money could keep Briatore motivated.

In fact, before this morning even arrived, Briatore's decisive refusal to go with Trulli to visit him last night was because he had already made prior arrangements with his business sponsors.

Chen Xiangbei's victory in this leg of the race has ignited a surge in his commercial value!
Chen Xiangbei could only sigh at this, hoping that Briatore wouldn't take on too many random endorsements, otherwise it would lower the prestige of F1 championships.

Just as the two were talking, Briatore walked in from outside with a radiant face. As soon as he saw Chen Xiangbei, he exclaimed happily, "Bei, I have good news to tell you!"

"Go ahead."

Compared to Briatore's excitement, Chen Xiangbei seemed quite indifferent.

"Just now, I signed a multi-million dollar endorsement contract for you. With the previous commission and salary bonuses, you'll soon become a multi-millionaire."

"Note: The unit is US dollars!"

Just as expected...

Chen Xiangbei muttered to himself.

Although Chen Xiangbei signed a management contract with Briatore, all of his business profits are still managed by Lu Xiaoman. Simply put, Lu Xiaoman controls the money.

Therefore, Chen Xiangbei was not very clear about the specific figures for how much money he had earned from endorsement collaborations over the past two years, as well as the team's annual salary and points rewards.

He put all his energy into the competition!
Chen Xiangbei is well aware that his commercial value and income come from his competition results.

Without results, all income becomes castles in the air, and leaving the F1 paddock will cause everything to collapse instantly.

"Bei, don't you like money?"

Seeing that Chen Xiangbei's reaction was lukewarm, Briatore asked a question in confusion.

It's important to understand that in his value system, profit comes first.

Drivers' dreams and championship aspirations are nothing compared to money.

Or to put it another way, if the price is high enough, Briatore can brake just before the finish line and sell the championship.

"Is there anything else?"

Chen Xiangbei didn't want to discuss values ​​with him. Money is something few people can resist, but there are many things in this world that are more important than money.

Just like the Isle of Man TT, a race with no prize money at all, yet countless riders risk their lives in pursuit of the wind and freedom.

Since we have different values, and no one can convince anyone else, it's best not to discuss this matter further and to seek common ground while reserving differences.

"Of course, there's one more thing that will definitely make you happy."

"whats the matter?"

Chen Xiangbei casually asked a question in return, as he couldn't think of anything Briatore could do to make him happy.

“I met with Chairman Huali. They are preparing to send engineers to Volvo’s Gothenburg R&D center and to study automotive engineering in Belgium.”

"So I suggested that they send another batch of engineers to the Lifield Technical Centre of the HRT fleet to fill the technical team and assist in research and development."

"Bei, you went to great lengths to bring in Chinese capital, wasn't it all to build a racing team with Chinese roots?"

"Your dream might come true soon!"

Upon hearing Briatore's words, Chen Xiangbei froze on the spot.

To be honest, he thought the Italian old rogue's happy talk was nothing more than another attempt to make money.

To everyone's surprise, he pulled Huali into the technology research and development!
Just as Prost dreamed of building a French team and Suzuki Akuri dreamed of building an all-Japanese team, Chen Xiangbei, deep down, dreamed of building a Chinese F1 team.

The reason is simple: Formula 1 represents the world's most advanced racing technology and the cutting edge of the automotive industry. Any part of that technology could be transferred to civilian vehicles and become cutting-edge technology.

Putting aside other things, F1 launched a hybrid system with battery technology in 11 seasons of history, which laid the foundation for the development and technological roadmap of new energy vehicles. If Chinese automakers had been able to take control in advance, there would have been no need for Tesla to come in as a "catfish".

However, as he became a professional F1 driver and gained a better understanding of how the entire system worked, Chen Xiangbei suppressed his "selfish desires".

Because he understood that forcing growth would not only fail to help, but would also have adverse effects.

In pursuit of the so-called "Chinese team," abandoning an inclusive and accommodating spirit will only result in the creation of an utterly worthless "tractor," wasting enormous sums of money, manpower, and resources in a dismal end, and further diminishing the reputation of China's automotive industry.

Even established automotive powerhouses like France and Japan couldn't achieve this, so Chen Xiangbei's ambition to reach the top in one step is impossible.

Therefore, he chose a more realistic path, which was to absorb more advanced R&D resources from the outside world as much as possible while preserving the Chinese shareholding in the team, to ensure that HRT racing cars are competitive first, and then consider future development and learning.

As a result, Briatore brought up the matter of Chen Xiangbei's decision to "lie low" on his own initiative.

The question is, does Huali Automobile currently have the technology and funds to participate in research and development?

Don't force someone to take on a burdensome job; it could become the final straw that breaks the camel's back when the cash flow dries up.

"Manager, why did you make this suggestion?"

Briatore is definitely not the type to help others, and he doesn't care about Chen Xiangbei's "Chinese Dream." He won't do anything without benefit or advantage.

Chen Xiangbei was genuinely worried that Huali Auto might use this incident as an opportunity to extort money from him.

"Liang and the other Chinese members showed me their diligence, discipline, efficiency, and professionalism. They are simply the most useful maintenance technicians in the world. I hope that more outstanding technicians will join the HRT fleet!"

Briatore waved his hands dramatically, his tone and gestures quite exaggerated.

"What you said is true, but please tell the truth."

Chen Xiangbei was not fooled by the flattery; he had no doubt that Chinese technicians were the best in the world.

The performance of Uncle Liang and others in the HRT team further demonstrated the fine traditional virtues of the Chinese people. At least in terms of diligence, they surpassed the European and American members of the team, with only the original Japanese team members able to catch up.

But this was not enough to impress Briatore. To avoid being taken advantage of, Chen Xiangbei had to ask clearly and thoroughly.

"Ugh……"

"Well, the HRT team is still short-staffed in R&D, and it's difficult to select another team to form an engine department. We can't rely on Ferrari's technical team forever."

"The price they paid to get from Maranello to London was very expensive!"

Only at this moment did Briatore tell the truth.

As a long-established powerhouse, Ferrari's personnel costs are already among the highest in F1. If you add the cost of sending them to London, it's simply astronomical.

Originally, they were hoping to completely solve the engine problem, but Briatore had no choice but to accept the high price, since the benefits outweighed the costs compared to winning a race.

However, it is now basically clear that the root cause of engine instability lies in material problems or design flaws, so Ferrari's technical team cannot completely solve the problem either.

If it's just a matter of reducing power, HRT team engineers can do the same thing, why would they need Ferrari?
Furthermore, as the season progresses, plans to develop a new race car for next year need to be put on the agenda.

In the past, the HRT fleet could rely on Toyota's legacy and did not need to design its own chassis and aerodynamic shape; it only needed to do some repairs.

Once the new race car development program is launched, the demand for the R&D team will not only increase exponentially, but will at least expand by 20% to 30%, especially given that HRT has already broken away from the mid-to-lower-tier group and is moving towards the goal of competing for the championship.

For Briatore, Chinese engineers may not be the most capable, nor are they the most technically skilled.

But it's definitely the best value for money!

Not to mention the Huali Group, which also had the mentality of "learning from" Volvo and F1, and the two sides hit it off immediately after the talks.

Chen Xiangbei never expected that his future goals would be driven forward by Briatore.

The motive is even more outrageous: Ferraris are too expensive!

(End of this chapter)