Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 288 Teammates are terrifyingly strong

"Is this all there is to the so-called Chinese champion?"

"Didn't Donghai break the track record with pole position? Now he's having such a hard time advancing to Q2?"

"The champion is sitting at the same table as the newcomer Perez. Even the so-called number one Asian player is nothing special!"

"Get out of here if you're eliminated in Q3! I don't want to see any more Chinese guys on the track!"

The Korean spectators at the scene were unaware of the HRT race car's situation, and such confidential internal matters could not be disclosed to the public, so a commotion erupted in the stands.

The best comparison in F1 is your teammate.

Perez has performed well in GP2, currently ranking second only to Venezuelan driver Maldonado.

The problem is that both brothers are "money-driven" players, and with the current trend of skipping levels in F3, the prestige of second place in GP2 is far less than that of the F2 champion in later generations.

To put it another way, among the F2 champions of later generations, apart from Russell, Leclerc, and Piastri, there were actually a lot of mediocre players, many of whom never even had the chance to drive in F1.

Chen Xiangbei's dramatic drop in performance has certainly given people something to talk about.

"Ross, things don't seem to be going well at the North station."

Mercedes engineer Field muttered something to team leader Ross Brown beside him.

They have always paid close attention to Chen Xiangbei's development. After all, Schumacher's age is a factor, and he will eventually retire for the second time. Perhaps they can "rekindle their relationship" then.

Compared to other teams, Mercedes has a much closer relationship with Chen Xiangbei.

"The lack of experience has exposed our shortcomings. We struggled to adapt to the new North Track and our driving style was too conservative."

Ross Brown nodded in response.

He knows this young Chinese driver's driving style very well; he loves to challenge the limits of the track and teeter on the edge of losing control.

In this qualifying race, it was obvious that Chen Xiangbei played much more conservatively, and he didn't even take the kerb much.

This situation most likely occurs because the driver is not familiar enough with the track, or lacks confidence in their ability to control the vehicle.

However, this is actually the normal performance of a young driver. Chen Xiangbei's amazing track adaptability in the previous few races was somewhat illogical.

"Schumacher is also struggling."

Field sighed. Schumacher finished tenth in Q1, behind even his former Williams teammate Barrichello. Behind him was another rookie, Hulkenberg.

Mercedes' performance may not be comparable to Red Bull or McLaren now, but it should have no problem beating Williams.

The relentless pushing he put in at the Australian Grand Prix put a tremendous strain on his body, and the aftereffects are still affecting him today; it's unknown how long it will take for him to recover.

"It's okay. Schumacher's strengths are not only in driving skills, but also in leadership. Our race cars are becoming more and more competitive."

Ross Brawn is not worried about this; he knows Schumacher's physical condition better than anyone else.

Mercedes spent a huge sum to bring Schumacher back, not hoping he would become an eight-time world champion, and the team's shareholders knew that was unrealistic.

Mercedes executives valued Schumacher's German heritage and his exceptional leadership skills, which would guide the team's future development direction.

This is similar to the HRT team's need for Briatore to integrate them.

Mercedes' competitiveness is increasing, with Rosberg qualifying fifth in the first session, surpassing the two Ferrari and McLaren drivers.

Mercedes, as a world-class automaker, entered the F1 paddock with a goal far beyond the gains and losses of a few races. Their aim was to create a dynasty similar to Ferrari's!

"That's true, the whole team is becoming more and more united now."

Field agrees with this point, noting that Mercedes' acquisition of Brawn GP raised the issue of integrating Japanese and German drivers.

Schumacher's personal charisma and leadership skills united everyone.

"Team leader, do you think North can make it into Q3?"

"do not know."

Ross Brown shook his head.

Based on Chen Xiangbei's current performance, he definitely won't make it into Q3.

But the Chinese boy has created so many miracles that Ross Brown dares not make any definitive conclusions.

"We'll find out soon enough."

Fidel stared at the clock on the wall and muttered to himself.

The countdown to the second qualifying round has quietly begun.

The teams were busy again, with drivers taking their seats in the cockpits to prepare for the race.

Odette stood in front of the screen, looking at the cloud map on the weather radar. Cumulonimbus clouds had arrived over the Lingyan racetrack, and the sky was becoming increasingly gloomy, with rain possible at any moment.

"Team leader, should we start on soft red tires, or switch to partial wet tires and wait?"

Chief technician Liang Chi asked Odette a question.

Given the current situation, the probability of rain is extremely high. If you start on soft red tires, it is very likely that it will start raining before you even complete your flying lap, and you will have to pit to change tires, which is equivalent to wasting your qualifying time.

Meanwhile, the new asphalt at Lingyan Circuit is already quite slippery, and if it rains, it will turn into an ice rink, greatly increasing the risk of crashes.

In that case, let's wait a few minutes and see how things go.

It can only be said that the performance of weather radar in this era could not reach the minute-accurate rainfall standards of later generations; otherwise, there would be no need for consideration and selection.

"Start the train."

Without much hesitation, Odeto made his choice.

After the first qualifying session, there was a lot of rubber residue on the track, and the grip was much better than in the early stages. There was no need to start too late and gamble on a flying lap.

In addition, the HRT team has decided to implement a one-stop strategy, so the need for reserves of soft red tires is not so strong, and they can free up a new set of tires for use in the second qualifying session.

Finally, the results of the first qualifying session made Odette feel a bit of risk; he wasn't sure that Chen Xiangbei and Perez would definitely make it into Q3.

Starting earlier and running one more lap means having more room for error!
"receive."

Following Odette's instructions, Liang Chi led the mechanics to replace the tires on the two HRT race cars with soft red tires.

Meanwhile, some of the faster drivers have already made their way to the pit lane, and they are prepared to run at least two flying laps.

Just a few dozen seconds later, Chen Xiangbei and Perez drove into the maintenance lane one after the other to warm up their tires.

Just as Chen Xiangbei finished warming up the tires and was about to push with all his might, he felt fine water droplets appear on his helmet visor. The long-awaited drizzle finally arrived at the most inopportune time!

"It's raining, and there are light raindrops in the sky. Currently, only Red Bull and McLaren are doing their flying laps. The other drivers are still in the warm-up lap stage, especially HRT driver Bei Zheng, who is planning a dynamic start."

"If the rain doesn't get heavier, he should be able to complete the warm-up lap before the track conditions become slippery."

"If the rain gets heavier, the soft red tires won't be able to grip the ground."

Reid explained the situation on the track, noting that Chen Xiangbei's timing in speeding up the track had both advantages and disadvantages.

If you can manage to get a good result quickly, then you'll be incredibly lucky.

After all, the drivers behind him switched to wet tires and sped off, so their lap times would inevitably be slower than those on the soft red tires. But if the rain intensified, Chen Xiangbei's lap would mean he was out of commission and would have to pit for tires, wasting a lot of qualifying time!

After saying that, Reid looked at the glass curtain wall of the studio. The raindrops were growing at a visible speed and were leaving streaks on the glass.

"Oh, it seems even the heavens aren't on driver North's side; the rain has clearly intensified."

Korean guest Park Dong-wook also noticed this scene. The light rain had quickly turned into moderate rain, and with the Lingyan track having almost zero drainage capacity, it was highly unlikely that Chen Xiangbei could complete this lap.

With favorable timing, location, and human factors all against Chen Xiangbei, the young Chinese athlete is destined to fail miserably on the Korean track!
"North, are you planning to pull in for a tire change?"

Odette's question came through the earpiece.

The first half of the Lingyan Circuit is fraught with danger due to its street layout and concrete safety barriers. Even the most aggressive team leader must consider the safety of the drivers.

"No, I've already crossed the line."

Chen Xiangbei gave a negative answer.

There's a line from a TV drama that goes, "The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish."

Rainfall is both a crisis and a source of opportunity.

If you can complete the flying lap, your lap time will be significantly faster than the drivers behind you, which is equivalent to securing a place in Q3.

With limited engine power, the HRT race car I was driving was far too weak, so I had to take this chance.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei once again became that gambler in the enclosure.

"Perez, do you need to pit for a tire change?"

Odette then turned to Perez and asked him a question.

"unnecessary."

The same answer came through the earpiece: Perez was now following behind Chen Xiangbei's car, and if he was lucky, he could even catch the tailwind of his teammate.

As a driver from a country with a weak automotive industry, Perez shoulders the same heavy responsibility as Chen Xiangbei; he cannot let his fellow Mexicans down!
The Toyota engine roared loudly as two HRT race cars sped along the track, one after the other. The wet track caused the tire temperature to drop instead of rise, and Chen Xiangbei felt as if he were dancing on the edge of a knife at every turn.

The swaying of the race car constantly challenged Chen Xiangbei's sense of the car and his handling skills.

Originally, the car was going for a conservative racing line, but due to the sideslip of the car, it came very close to the concrete guardrail at the edge of the track. In many cases, it looked like a crash was imminent on the broadcast camera!

"MY GOD, Bei is way too close to the edge of the track!"

"The race car is clearly skidding. Is Chen Xiangbei in danger?"

"The rear of the car was already spraying water mist; Chen Xiangbei should have changed to rain tires before leaving the station."

"Changing to rain tires will slow him down a lot, because he really wants to achieve a good result."

"Of course, he wants to slap these Korean bastards in the face!"

The Chinese spectators in the stands and Chen Xiangbei's supporters were on tenterhooks.

On the one hand, they really hope that Chen Xiangbei will achieve good results to respond strongly to the insults and abuse he received from the Koreans.

On the other hand, they were worried that something might happen to Chen Xiangbei. If he crashed into the concrete protective wall at a speed of hundreds of kilometers per hour, even the most advanced F1 car would not be able to withstand it, and it might disintegrate instantly.

There is more than one race, but there is only one Chinese F1 driver.

Chen Xiangbei led Chinese Formula racing from zero to the pinnacle!
While fans are worried about Chen Xiangbei, the HRT team management is currently more concerned about Perez.

Chen Xiangbei has already proven his strength in rainy conditions at the Australian station, and he is definitely a top-tier player in the paddock.

But for Perez, nobody knows how well he performs in the rain.

Unfortunately, this newcomer, who was driving an F1 car for the first time, desperately tried to catch up with his teammate's car by using Chen Xiangbei's slipstream to improve his lap time.

To be honest, Perez's performance in the rain isn't top-tier, but he's not exactly a complete landlubber either.

After all, the Monaco rain-soaked championship in 22 still has a certain level of prestige.

However, for Perez, who is still a newcomer, keeping up with Chen Xiangbei's speed is too difficult and stressful.

Despite the not-so-hot weather, within just a few dozen seconds, Perez's fireproof underwear was completely soaked with sweat, and he was in a state of high tension and concentration.

If you're not careful, he'll climb onto the wall!

"Stay calm, Xiang Bei-jun!"

"Go for it, Head North!"

"Just one lap, run this lap!"

As the rain intensified, the staff at the repair station couldn't help but cheer Chen Xiangbei on.

Odette's gaze wasn't on the monitor screen; the breeze from the cumulonimbus clouds was just enough to clear away the simulator lap time that Mizutani Sho had recorded for Chen Xiangbei the night before.

The densely packed numbers above demonstrate Chen Xiangbei's hard work and his gradual improvement in lap times.

With curiosity in mind, Odeto flipped to the last line.

The number 1 minute 35.291 seconds made his eyes widen in astonishment.

This single-lap speed has narrowed the gap with the ideal lap time of the computer to less than 1 second!
Could it be that this kid has really taken control of the Lingyan racetrack?
Filled with surprise and shock, Odette looked at the broadcast screen again. Chen Xiangbei had just narrowly escaped the last bend and entered the long straight in the final stage of the finish line.

As the black and orange No. 13 car roared past, a brand new name appeared in fifth place on the current lap time leaderboard: Chen Xiangbei from the HRT team.

And just a fraction of a second later, another HRT race car entered the leaderboard, ranking even higher, surpassing Chen Xiangbei by a mere 0.046 seconds to take fourth place. His name was Perez.

"Long live HRT!"

Inside the HRT team's pit garage, the team members cheered like fireworks exploding, everyone caught up in a frenzy of emotion.

No one could have imagined that HRT would be able to bring two trains into Q3 again; it's nothing short of a miracle.

Meanwhile, the team's voice system was filled with congratulations and encouragement for the two drivers, who proved their strength and brought glory to the HRT team.

Perez, in particular, received rave reviews from his teammate. As a complete rookie, he made it into Q3 in his debut race and even surpassed the race winner, fully deserving of any praise.

Only Perez knew in his heart that his achievements were merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

If Chen Xiangbei changed lanes and deviated from the bottom lane, he wouldn't be able to comfortably ride the slipstream the whole time, and naturally he wouldn't be able to go faster than his teammates in the car in front of him.

Perez even had a feeling that Chen Xiangbei was deliberately creating a tail current for him.

No wonder Trulli, a hot-tempered Italian, could accept Chen Xiangbei, a newcomer from China. His character and magnanimity are beyond reproach.

In addition, Perez not only benefited from the wake, but also from imitating Chen Xiangbei's driving style.

The opponent found the best cornering line for grip, constantly teetering on the edge of losing control. Perez was able to complete the flying lap without crashing into the wall by following Chen Xiangbei's line.

To be honest, Perez was conflicted at the moment.

Having a strong teammate is a good thing, but when a teammate is so strong that they are difficult to defeat, that is a bad thing.

This is similar to the feeling of being afraid that your brother is driving a Land Rover, even though your brother is suffering.

(End of this chapter)