Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 283 The Top Political Leader in the Hunting Grounds
"Brother Bei really doesn't put up with these Koreans."

Upon witnessing this scene, Ah Yong, who was working at the repair shop, couldn't help but sigh.

Chen Xiangbei's personality is such that he responds better to gentleness than force. If the other party treats him with courtesy, he will definitely be polite.

If the other party tries to take advantage of him, Chen Xiangbei won't care about his athlete image or international influence.

When it's time to retaliate, we must act decisively!
"Has Chen Xiangbei always been like this abroad?"

When Huali engineer Cheng Jian heard A Yong muttering, he subconsciously asked a question in return.

To be honest, this scene really opened his eyes.

Although Chen Xiangbei's interview with CCTV has made him a household name in the domestic automotive industry.

However, seeing is believing, and Chen Xiangbei's tough performance completely overturned Cheng Jian's perception of Chinese athletes.

Or to put it another way, let alone Chinese athletes, there are very few in the world of motorsports who would dare to give the middle finger to the audience!

"No, Brother Bei ignored all the previous ridicule and insults."

"The Koreans used really nasty insults today."

A Yong shook his head. Chen Xiangbei had also run on many tracks in his professional career, across different continents and countries.

In the past, let alone retaliating with actions like giving the middle finger, he didn't even use words directed at the audience. Instead, he would make arrogant remarks to attract attention and boost his popularity and fame.

It's obvious that Chen Xiangbei's anger today is largely due to the word "shopkeeper," which is a standard form of racial discrimination, similar to the later expression "Qinqiang is poor."

In Itaewon, street brawls are commonplace, and it's understandable that nobody knows anyone and nobody tolerates anyone else.

Friday's practice match is a public event, so such remarks should not be made!
Sure enough, right after A Yong finished speaking, Chen Xiangbei's voice came through the convoy's radio.

“Briatoli, I need you to file a complaint with the FIA, accusing the Korean Automobile Federation of failing to control racist remarks and of the unsportsmanlike conduct of the Korean spectators at the scene.”

"In addition, we should find more media outlets to publish the opinions expressed at the scene. I also saw Hank from Sky Sports when I entered the stadium, and contacted him to appear on the global F1 broadcast to condemn the behavior of the Korean Automobile Federation and the audience."

"Remember, you have to be quick!"

A person who is brave but lacks strategy will always be nothing more than a reckless fool.

Chen Xiangbei clearly understands the importance of seizing the high ground in public opinion, especially when he is in the right.

Aside from individual licenses granted by each country, the official broadcasting rights for Formula 1 are generally held by Sky Sports in the UK. Previously, this rascal Hank had created many problems for Chen Xiangbei, but also brought him a lot of attention; it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

However, this win-win situation is based on Chen Xiangbei turning the tide against all odds. If he fails to do so, he will simply be cannon fodder used by Hank to generate hype.

If you take the benefits, you have to make a contribution. Chen Xiangbei believed that Hank wouldn't mind helping with this small favor.

"GOOD!"

"Bei, I told you long ago you were a master of hunting politics, and I was right!"

Briatore was very excited. He had finally confirmed his inner suspicions: Chen Xiangbei, this Chinese lad, was not a reckless fool at heart; he was actually very clever and quick-witted.

Nobody likes dealing with idiots, especially a profit-driven old rogue like Briatore.

He had previously worried that Chen Xiangbei might get carried away and say or do something irrational afterward, which would turn any reasonable argument into an unreasonable one, and it wouldn't be as simple as just fining him.

Fortunately, Chen Xiangbei not only understands racing, but he also understands public opinion and politics!
"Don't worry, leave this to me. I guarantee that there will be no more insulting words in the paddock in the future."

Briatore replied confidently.

He could overturn a lifetime ban from the paddock imposed by the FIA, so what's a little thing like this?

The most important point is that the root cause of Chen Xiangbei's current predicament is actually his womanizing at the Briatore bar.

The Chinese guy is very loyal, which Briatore really likes!

While Chen Xiangbei was practicing on the track, Briatore found Hank off the track and, through media reports and by emphasizing the insulting language used by the South Korean audience, put pressure on the FIA ​​organizing committee.

This forced the Korea Automobile Federation to issue an apology, and the paddock's public address system reminded spectators that anyone who repeatedly violated the rules would be expelled from the paddock!

Racial discrimination has always been one of the red lines in international sporting events, and it is also an absolute political correctness worldwide.

Whether Chen Xiangbei said it or not, no one can prove it.

The insults hurled at the audience were captured on camera by Sky Sports.

The Korean audience was still reeling from Chen Xiangbei's "daring" retaliation and provocation when, at the end of the first practice session, they heard the Korean Automobile Federation's public statement and apology to driver Chen Xiangbei over the loudspeaker.

The broadcast also sternly reiterated the rules and discipline of the event, stating that any spectators who violated them would be expelled from the paddock, just like being expelled from a basketball or football match!
Upon hearing this broadcast, the South Korean audience at the scene were stunned.

Chen Xiangbei was the one who insulted the Koreans and even openly gave them the middle finger, yet nothing happened to him.

In theory, Chen Xiangbei did indeed violate FIA ​​rules, but he couldn't withstand the questioning from Sky Sports, which forced the Korean Automobile Federation to choose to let the matter drop for the sake of international public opinion.

This is the first Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the Korean Automobile Federation has high ambitions for it, hoping to enhance its international influence and drive the development of the entire region through the Korean Grand Prix, with indirect economic impacts potentially reaching tens of billions of dollars.

If this matter blows up, Chen Xiangbei might only be fined a few tens of thousands of dollars for his misconduct, but the Korean Automobile Federation and the organizers will suffer heavy losses.

Weighing the pros and cons, it's better to just apologize honestly.

"Damn it, why are we the ones apologizing to the Chinese? What's going on behind the scenes?!"

"How can Chinese driver Bei openly give the middle finger without being punished? What kind of backing does he have?"

"I protest! The FIA ​​and the F1 Council are protecting Chinese drivers!"

"Chinese business owners, get out of the Korean race!"

The last South Korean audience member completely broke down and screamed hysterically.

The result was naturally that they were driven out of the enclosure by the on-site security, which served as a warning to others.

This will make it clear to the South Korean spectators who were still planning to cause trouble that the rules of the paddock will be strictly enforced!
As the noise and shouting subsided, the countdown for the first practice session also reached zero.

Chen Xiangbei drove the HRT race car back to the pit stop, where the team's mechanics came to greet him. Everyone was as usual, and no one mentioned the paddock trash talk. Instead, they were all focused on their work.

Compared to the excitement in the stands, Chen Xiangbei's performance in the practice matches was far from optimistic!
Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time on the simulator is just over 1 minute 35.5 seconds, which is very close to the ideal lap time simulated by the computer. Based on this time, he will most likely win pole position at the Lingyan Circuit.

However, in the first practice session, Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time was only 1 minute 38.344 seconds. Of course, no one would push hard in the first practice session, especially on a completely new track. Most drivers were focused on familiarizing themselves with the track characteristics and getting feedback on their car setups.

However, Chen Xiangbei's lap time still placed him outside the top fifteen, even slower than substitute driver Perez!
"Bei, are you affected by your emotions?"

Looking at Chen Xiangbei as he got off the race car, Odeto turned his attention to his mental state.

It was obvious that Chen Xiangbei's gesture of giving the middle finger in the maintenance passage indicated that he was affected by the comments and insults from the spectators in the stands. However, out of trust in Chen Xiangbei's emotional control, Odeto did not express any opinion from beginning to end.

However, Odette was quite dissatisfied with this result!

It's important to understand that many drivers' abilities are not the same as their performance on the track. Generally speaking, if we use percentages to describe it, being able to perform at 80% or 90% of one's ability on the track is already considered excellent.

If you can perform at 100%, that's called an emotionless Autobot.

If they can perform at 110%, a legendary scene of the "God's Circle" will be created.

After all, people are not machines. Once on the track, they will be affected by various factors, such as the weather, the track atmosphere, media reports, and their own emotions.

Chen Xiangbei is still young after all. Just because he was able to maintain emotional stability in the past doesn't mean he can control himself all the time.

Objectively speaking, few people could remain calm amidst the insults and abuse from over 100,000 people in the audience.

"No, I feel that the engine power output is very unstable and lacks the linear response it used to have."

"I struggled a lot with the simple low-pressure tuning option."

Chen Xiangbei replied in a flat tone.

The prerequisite for influencing emotions is breaking down defenses. To put it bluntly, Chen Xiangbei's current strength is enough to crush the entire South Korean motorsport scene, including their proud rally racing.

Chen Xiangbei retaliated by giving the middle finger purely to see the audience break down and to disgust them thoroughly.

As it turns out, Chen Xiangbei's calculations were correct; those who had been shouting the loudest at the scene were now feeling worse than if they had swallowed a fly.

How do you plan to adjust it?

"The medium downforce scheme aims to provide sufficient grip in continuous corners while minimizing the loss of time on straights."

"What about the detailed feedback?"

Odeto asked another question.

"Raising the differential ensures better traction for the race car in low-to-medium speed corners."

"The front-to-rear brake ratio is adjusted to 55:45, while the suspension is stiffer in the front and softer in the rear. The engine performance output is too low, so it can't keep up with the high-speed corners and long straights in the latter half of the road. Therefore, it can only catch up in the first half of the road."

Chen Xiangbei's previous low downforce tuning scheme followed the consistent style of the Donghai International Circuit, which is to pursue high speed in high-speed corners and long straights. With the excellent aerodynamic layout of the HRT race car's double diffuser and stall wing, he relied on speed to overpower his opponents!

However, this tactic doesn't work on the Lingyan racetrack.

The key to overtaking the opponent lies in performance and speed. Originally, the HRT race car was expected to be second or third in the paddock, but after this practice race, Chen Xiangbei felt that it had slipped to third or fourth place, or even lower.

Furthermore, the nonlinear dynamic response made driving very uncomfortable for Chen Xiangbei.

Imagine if you were to press the accelerator pedal slowly and deeply in a passenger car, the acceleration response would be inconsistent, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

While this might be acceptable on ordinary roads, in a top-level racing event like F1, even the slightest error can lead to disastrous consequences.

Since no matter how well the performance is tuned for high-speed corners and long straights, it can't outperform the opponent, the only option is to adopt the strategy of "Tian Ji's horse racing" and put all the bets on low-speed corners.

Relying on its exceptional car feel and handling, it left its opponents behind in the first half of the "street race"!
"It's very difficult to make a breakthrough in the street race, especially since this is my first time running the Lingyan track."

"Bei, are you sure you can do it?"

"Team manager Odeto, have you forgotten my performance in Australia?"

Faced with Odette's question, Chen Xiangbei smiled and asked a question in return.

"Although the Australian Grand Prix has street circuits, it is fundamentally different from true street circuits like Monaco and Singapore. The concrete barriers at the Lingyan circuit pose a greater danger in terms of obstructing the view."

"I am still the champion of the Guia Circuit."

As soon as Chen Xiangbei said those words, Odeto was momentarily stunned.

I have indeed forgotten Chen Xiangbei's amazing performance at the Australian Grand Prix.

Chen Xiangbei, a junior Renault Formula driver, made his debut in F3 racing, and in the most challenging Grand Prix, he won the championship title, setting a record.

Compared to his early days of naivety, Chen Xiangbei is now an F1 Grand Prix champion.

No matter how unfamiliar or dangerous it is, can it be bigger than the Guia Circuit?

"Good, keep that attitude."

Odette nodded, responding with absolute certainty.

He often treated Chen Xiangbei with the strictest standards, but in the end he still found that he had underestimated this Chinese kid.

This guy's inner strength is far greater than others realize!
Just as the two were talking, a screen hanging on the wall happened to show an interview with McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton by a reporter on site.

"Hamilton, in the last race, your driver standings points were overtaken by HRT driver North, and some unpleasant things happened during the race, which you criticized and appealed afterward."

"Now that we're at the Yeongam Circuit in South Korea, do you think you can avenge your loss to the North and take the race?"

Hamilton is filled with an extremely strong desire to win, even more so than Senna, Schumacher and others. He is willing to give up everything for the championship!
In response to this question, Hamilton replied without hesitation: "Driver North is no match for me. I will prove to the world who the real king is!"

Hamilton has every right to say that. He finished as runner-up in his rookie season and became world champion the following year, making him arguably the greatest rookie in F1 history.

Even Verstappen, who came after him, could not surpass this achievement.

Other drivers might have had a lot of feelings and emotions upon hearing this, but none would be as excited as Chen Xiangbei.

That’s right, it’s exciting!
No matter how domineering and confident Hamilton's declaration was, it came with a premise.

That means he has completely regarded Chen Xiangbei as his opponent!
Only opponents of equal caliber would respond with bold and unrestrained words.

The ants on the roadside don't even deserve to be compared to them!
The second driver in history to win seven championships, who ushered in an entire era, now sees himself as an opponent.

Chen Xiangbei should definitely be excited!
(End of this chapter)