Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 290 The weak are naturally inclined to take risks
Soft red tire?
Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's request, the team's strategy group did not give a direct answer for the first time, and everyone was frantically weighing the pros and cons in their minds.

The four-car accident in the second qualifying session is enough to prove how slippery the Lingyan Circuit is, and the two cars that crashed into the wall were almost severely damaged. It is unknown whether they can be repaired before tomorrow's race.

The two drivers of the HRT team changed to a new power unit almost every race. If Chen Xiangbei were to be involved, even if no serious damage was caused, there was no guarantee that there would be enough spare parts to repair the car.

And after the car is repaired, you still have to start from the repair shop.

Under the current circumstances, even if Chen Xiangbei is not afraid of Q3, his worst-case scenario is starting in tenth place.

But if there's an accident, the car will have to start from the twenty-fourth position.

The miracle of rushing from the back of the pack to the podium is impossible to happen every race.

Meanwhile, as Chen Xiangbei demonstrates greater strength, other drivers in the paddock will target him more and more, making it increasingly difficult to overtake him by taking advantage of his opponent's arrogance and underestimation.

For example, he overtook Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Odeto could even assert that if Chen Xiangbei had started from 24th position at this race, he would definitely not have made it into the points zone!
"Bei, have you decided to take the risk?"

"Ah."

Hearing Odeto's question, Chen Xiangbei gave a firm answer.

Sometimes a slow lap time isn't necessarily due to a bad driver; it's just that the car is slow.

Piastri, the super genius who later jumped three times, joined the McLaren team, just in time for the team's slump. Forget about winning races, even finishing a race was extremely difficult, and they were almost always at the bottom of the standings.

At the time, many voices were pessimistic, believing that Piastri lowered the value of Russell and Leclerc's three consecutive jumps, and that he might just be a fraud using "money power".

As it turns out, winning a championship might be a matter of chance, but for a rookie to win every level of competition for three years, that definitely demonstrates undeniable strength.

Once McLaren recovered, Piastri immediately proved that his title of prodigy was well-deserved, demonstrating that he was capable of competing with Norris for the championship, and even surpassing him!

In that racing lap just now, Chen Xiangbei really felt that he hadn't made any mistakes, but he still could only rank ninth.

It seems that with the 30 horsepower reduction compared to the previous race, coupled with the tuning scheme that prioritizes tire preservation in the race, I can no longer make up for it with my driving skills.

"OK, get ready to enter the station."

After receiving confirmation, Odeto issued the entry order.

“Team leader Odeto, there is still water on the track, and it would be very dangerous to switch to soft red tires.”

Seeing this, Hiroki Sawano, who was standing next to him, spoke up to offer a reminder.

"I know."

The series of accidents and two red flags on the track have demonstrated how dangerous it is to switch to soft tires. How could Odette not know that?
However, he immediately added, "Remember this, Zeye: the strong don't need to gamble; the weak naturally want to offend."

"Having reached this stage of contending for the championship, Bei needs to demonstrate the strength that matches his ambition!"

With his victory at the China Grand Prix and his current close points race, Chen Xiangbei has proven that he truly has the ability to contend for the championship.

At the same time, not only Chen Xiangbei, but the entire HRT team members have already developed the ambition of becoming a championship team.

Unless they have a "Mars rover" that is far ahead, how can the "Earth group" possibly snatch the championship from the big teams?
Senna died on the track while chasing Schumacher.

Schumacher won the championship by driving a wrecked tricycle and completing the remaining laps in an extremely dangerous manner.

The previous HRT race was very competitive, and Odette wouldn't support Chen Xiangbei taking unnecessary risks.

If Chen Xiangbei wants to start from the front and even win the championship, he has to fight with his life on the line!

"But……"

Hiroki Sawano wanted to say something more, but Odeto rudely interrupted him.

"There are no buts. On the road to becoming a top driver, you are destined to fight against death."

Seeing Odeto's resolute decision and Chen Xiangbei's unwavering determination, Hiroki Sawano knew that there was no point in saying anything more.

Now that the instructions have been given, it's up to Chen Xiangbei to take control of the race car.

The No. 13 car roared into the pits, and just when everyone thought it was a routine stop, they saw members of the HRT mechanics team carrying out soft red tires.

Upon seeing this, everyone, including the commentator, was stunned. Chen Xiangbei was planning to drive on soft red tires in the rain?
"My God, what's going on? Is Bei going to risk his life?"

Reid exclaimed in surprise, "Given the lessons learned from other drivers, the HRT team still dared to put soft red tires on Chen Xiangbei. Aren't they afraid of dying?"

"Racing is a game of tactics and skills, not a game of recklessness and recklessness."

"Playing with your life? You really could die!"

The South Korean commentator Park Dong-wook snorted coldly. In his opinion, Chen Xiangbei was a bit impatient, eager to prove his speed, or perhaps wanting to replicate his performance as the champion of the Chinese leg.

The problem is that the HRT car's power was obviously off in the last race, most likely due to using an overpower mode to squeeze out engine life. This time, without any "external boost," it will have to rely on its own true abilities.

Are there any Chinese people?
Park Dong-wook guessed that it was highly unlikely.

If you can conquer the Lingyan track with your own strength, who would risk their life?
Red did not refute this. To be honest, reason told him that switching to soft red tires in this situation was too risky and really seemed like a desperate gamble after having no other options.

It's not surprising that young people have impulsive ideas, but why would the HRT team's strategy group agree to this risky decision?

Not only did Reid not understand, but even the Ferrari team, which was relatively familiar with Odette's style, did not understand. Although Odette was Italian, he was more like a meticulous German in many ways.

He was not lacking in courage to make decisions, but when the risks outweighed the rewards, Odeto would very rationally object.

"Byrne, you've worked with Odette before. Do you think he's gambling, or are the track conditions already suitable for running on soft tires?"

Ferrari team principal Domenicali asked legendary designer Roy Byrne a question.

Domenicali only succeeded Jean Todt as Ferrari team principal in 06. He was not familiar with Odette, who was a member of the strategy team during the Prancing Horse dynasty. On the contrary, he had some contact and friendship with Roy Byrne.

Ferrari's engineers were also closely monitoring track surface data, and they concluded that soft tires were not suitable for high-speed racing.

However, Lingyan is a brand new track with no precedent to refer to. Everyone knows that the speed of soft tires is much higher than that of semi-wet tires. Domenicali wanted to know if the HRT team had more confidential information.

Or is this Odette's personal adventure order?

"Odette is not a gambler."

Roy Byrne first characterized Odette's personality.

During the five years of Ferrari's reign, as long as Schumacher's car didn't malfunction, he could win the championship by running steadily. There was no need for Schumacher to take any risks or use any fancy tricks, and the strategy team didn't need to gamble or take risks.

"But he will accept the suggestion to go all in."

Hearing Byrne's addition, Domenicali instantly realized something. He then countered, "You mean, this is North's suggestion?"

"Well, if the driver doesn't have that thought, no team leader would give a death-defying order."

Byrne made a key point: even if the second driver or wingman doesn't need personal results, they shouldn't risk their lives.

Furthermore, if a driver suffers a serious injury or death, it will also have a huge negative impact on the team's commercial value and brand influence, and the team will be subject to an investigation by the FIA.

If it gets exposed, the convoy might be completely ruined.

"Maybe Briatore will."

Domenicali replied meaningfully.

This instruction does not exist under normal circumstances, but there are abnormal situations.

That is, a team leader like Briatore, who prioritizes profit, doesn't care much about the safety of the drivers, such as issuing an order to "crash the door".

Of course, he did indeed ruin the Renault team.

Roy Byrne was speechless. Indeed, the old Italian rogue was capable of doing such a thing.

If Briatore knew about their conversation, he would probably feel incredibly wronged.

So far, he has rarely interfered with the team's strategy group's instructions, not to mention how magnanimous he is and how much he trusts Odette and others.

Rather, the team's performance had met Briatore's expectations, and further intervention wouldn't improve the situation, so he might as well enjoy the peace and quiet.

Amidst the curious and skeptical gazes of the crowd, Chen Xiangbei drove his race car back to the repair shop, where the mechanics helped him change to soft red tires.

"Brother Bei, take it easy."

During the tire change, A Yong gave Chen Xiangbei a piece of advice.

He has now been with an F1 team for almost a year and is no longer the naive young man he once was in China.

Ah Yong knew the risks of soft red tires, and compared to performance and profit, he cared more about Chen Xiangbei's safety.

"Go north, don't force yourself."

Liang Chi gave the same instruction, his expression very serious.

Through the helmet visor, Chen Xiangbei didn't say anything, only nodded slightly to the two of them.

it is more than words.

After changing the tires, Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car roared out of the pits for another warm-up lap, while also testing the tire grip.

The track broadcast camera was already focused on Chen Xiangbei's HRT race car. The director was also very clear that the soft red tires would either achieve amazing speeds or crash into the wall, causing an accident.

Whichever it is, it will be the focus of everyone's attention!
The result was far from optimistic. During the tire warm-up, Chen Xiangbei's car spun out once, crashing into the run-off area before returning to the track.

This scene made the fans at the scene even more anxious.

"Chen Xiangbei's switch to soft tires was too extreme; there was no need to push himself so hard."

"HRT's speed wasn't good at this race, so he had no choice but to push himself to the limit."

"Something bad has happened. I have a vague sense of foreboding."

"Believe in Chen Xiangbei, he is a miracle!"

The warm-up lap, which lasted just over a minute, was quickly completed. When Chen Xiangbei returned to the starting line, he floored the accelerator to accelerate and start his second flying lap in the Q3.

The black and orange HRT race car appeared like a black lightning bolt on the large screen in the center of the track.

The humid air after the rain, coupled with the still slightly slippery track, meant that Chen Xiangbei didn't need to worry about heat dissipation. He only needed to do his best to push the track speed to the limit.

The deafening roar of the engine, accompanied by the near-instantaneous rubbing of the concrete wall and guardrail wiring, stirred the hearts of the audience and the crew members on site.

If Chen Xiangbei's speed during the second qualifying lap was like dancing on a knife's edge, constantly teetering on the brink of losing control, then...

So, in his current situation, he can be described as playing a game with death!
It's no longer a matter of a shaky hand causing a control error; rather, a mere ten milliliters or so of water on a section of the track can affect the dynamic balance of tire grip, causing the entire race car to immediately slip and lose control.

Such a run-off, bordering on out of control, would probably be difficult to complete even on a racing simulator, yet Chen Xiangbei used it on a real racetrack.

To put it bluntly, it was almost as difficult as driving a DRS at full throttle through a corner in later generations.

"Was Xiang Beijun mentally prepared all along? Last night he crashed countless times while driving a racing simulator."

As Mizutani Sho watched the broadcast, he couldn't help but mutter something to Sawano Hiroki beside him.

Chen Xiangbei's simulator training involved recording data, so he was already very familiar with the content.

In most cases, Chen Xiangbei's lane movement is very precise even when training on a simulator, and he won't recklessly cause various crashes and restarts. After all, this isn't playing a game, but applying the data to a real match.

Such an outrageous driving method is simply impossible to achieve in reality!

Unfortunately, Chen Xiangbei made numerous "mistakes" last night, crashing his race car countless times. It was clear that he was testing the limits of the track.

At the time, Mizutani Sho didn't think much of it, assuming that Chen Xiangbei was unfamiliar with the track and that making more mistakes was normal.

In retrospect, this was not a mistake, but rather a result of Chen Xiangbei's well-prepared training!
"Being mentally prepared is not the same as being able to do it; life doesn't offer second chances."

Hiroki Sawano replied silently, his fists clenched unconsciously due to nervousness.

Considering how cautious the viewers are, one can imagine how dangerous Chen Xiangbei's current situation is.

In fact, Chen Xiangbei's mindset was probably much better than that of Hiroki Sawano and others.

The reason is simple: when his attention is highly focused, he has no time to feel nervous or afraid.

Instead, only one thought was in my mind: to complete this lap as quickly as possible!
A minute or so usually passes quickly, but this minute or so felt incredibly long.

Every bend made my heart leap into my throat, only to be followed by a long sigh of relief after I got through it.

Repeatedly.

After the last corner, normally everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, but the pit team remained silent, their eyes still glued to the monitor on the wall, eagerly awaiting the final lap time.

The race car roared past, and the stopwatch stopped abruptly.

The arrival of the timer 1 minute 36.311 seconds caused a brief silence before erupting into a clamor throughout the stadium.

This time was a full 1.5 seconds faster than Hamilton's fastest lap, putting Chen Xiangbei at the top of the qualifying leaderboard!
(End of this chapter)