Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 291 I Can Go Even Faster

"Holy crap, can Chen Xiangbei really complete the Flying Spur lap on soft red tires?"

"Damn, that's too reckless! If he hit a concrete retaining wall on this slippery road, he'd be dead for sure!"

"Unbelievable, it's incredible! How did Chen Xiangbei do that?"

"This is the strength of a Chinese champion. I've said before that Chen Xiangbei will one day become number one in the world!"

"Go Chen Xiangbei, dominate the Korean track!"

Chen Xiangbei's fans at the scene went crazy; they were originally just satisfied that Chen Xiangbei made it into the Q3.

After all, qualifying for Q3 every time in the rookie season is an excellent result in itself. Sometimes people should be content, especially considering the foundation of Chinese motorsport. Calling it a miracle is not an exaggeration.

But Chen Xiangbei was even more dissatisfied than the average car enthusiast; this guy used a death-defying driving style to reach the top of the leaderboard!
"Can soft tires grip the ground?"

Upon seeing this result, Ferrari team principal Domenicali turned his attention back to the test data on the screen.

The track's wetness level is clearly displayed. The soft red tires are extremely dangerous, and since you can't go full speed, you'd be better off using the semi-wet tires.

But the Chinese kid succeeded?

When the legendary designer Roy Byrne heard this, he knew that Domenicali wasn't asking him, but rather it was more like an incredulous murmur.

This Chinese kid's performance was truly mind-blowing. It's hard to say whether to attribute it to his good luck and successful gamble, or to his exceptional skill and daring.

It was Chief Race Engineer Armando who reacted quickly, immediately ordering the mechanics: "Use the warming blankets to warm up the soft red tires right away. We can still do one more flying lap before the qualifying countdown ends!"

If Chen Xiangbei can do it, there's no reason why Alonso can't.

Even Massa, who is not good at riding in the rain, is compared with the historical GOAT drivers. Armando does not believe that a Chinese rookie can ride on the head of the world runner-up.

Due to the characteristics of slick tires, F1 cars still need to use warming blankets to preheat even with warming laps, so that they can reach the operating temperature as quickly as possible, especially on wet and cold tracks.

However, due to the incident in the second qualifying session, all the teams felt there was no need to use soft red tires, and they didn't even warm up a set of tires as a backup.

Ferrari needs to hurry and try to complete another flying lap!

In fact, it wasn't just the Ferrari team; all the teams that entered Q3 through the pit lane were mobilized.

The drivers who made it into Q3 are basically the top drivers who have made a name for themselves in the history of the paddock. Their rain-driving skills may vary, but no one thinks they are weaker than Chen Xiangbei, this Chinese newcomer.

Chen Xiangbei's lap was like a catalyst, reigniting the doubts surrounding the third qualifying session of the Korean Grand Prix!

"This is impossible!"

Inside the studio, South Korean commentator Park Dong-wook stared intently at the numbers on the screen upon seeing this scene and immediately shouted out.

In two practice sessions and two qualifying sessions, Chen Xiangbei barely made it through, except for a fifth-place lap time thanks to rain. He didn't show any of the strength expected of a stage winner to take the top spot.

One instance might be excused for a poor performance, but repeated occurrences inevitably lead to contempt, especially among South Koreans who are unfamiliar with him.

As a result, relying on a set of soft red tires, he managed to control the slippery Lingyan track. Was he cheating?
Reid's initial astonishment was not much less than Park Dong-wook's.

However, having commentated on many of Chen Xiangbei's matches and gained a deep understanding of this rising Chinese talent, he quickly recovered and spoke with a sigh.

“Park, never underestimate driver Buk. I have witnessed too many miracles he has created.”

"This young Chinese newcomer is just like Senna back in the day; nothing is impossible before everything is settled!"

Reid gave Chen Xiang a very high evaluation this time, comparing him to the racing legend Ayrton Senna.

Indeed, in terms of the surprises in qualifying, Chen Xiangbei showed glimpses of Senna's style from back in the day: the sheer awe-inspiring speed and the ultimate control of the car in the rain.

"Chen Xiangbei has only played a few races, how can he be compared to Senna?"

Park Dong-wook remained unconvinced, acknowledging that Chen Xiangbei's performance on this lap was indeed quite impressive.

But then again, isn't the real reason simply that by switching to soft red tires, they gained an early advantage?

According to real-time updates from the race organizers, all teams entering Q3 have already started warming up their tires and will soon be switching to soft red tires for their final flying lap.

Will Chen Xiangbei be able to maintain his top position then?
"I'm not talking about achievements, but a spirit, a spirit of daring to take risks."

Reid emphasized again that everyone knows Chen Xiangbei's current achievements are far from comparable to those of Sena, who has three world championships.

But is Senna's reputation as the "eternal racing god" solely based on his achievements?
The answer is no.

Leaving aside Schumacher's seven world championships in this era, his number of world championships far surpasses that of Senna.

His contemporary, "Professor" Prost, had four world championships, surpassing him.

Sena is remembered for his courage, his adventurous spirit, and his never-say-die attitude!
It's important to know that the driver injury rate was extremely high during Senna's era. The cars were far less robust and safer than those of later generations. Many drivers would choose to prioritize safety over performance, sacrificing their lives.

Senna risked his life for a fraction of a second more in the numbers.

"Does Chen Xiangbei have this kind of gambler's mentality?"

Upon hearing Park Dong-wook's question, Reid immediately shut up and refused to discuss it further.

This is like saying you can't talk about ice with a summer insect; when you look at someone with prejudice, everything they do will be wrong.

Reid disagreed with Park Dong-wook's view of Chen Xiangbei's adventurous spirit as a gambler's spirit, but the Korean audience at the scene immediately found resonance upon hearing this statement.

That's right, aren't the Chinese just gambling?

This is a track with no historical data, meaning that how slippery the track will be after rain is completely unknown.

If you win the bet, you're awesome; if you lose, it's not such a big loss when you think about it.

Since we're already at the bottom of Q3, how could we possibly fall more than ten places?

As for the so-called risks, who can accurately measure how big they are? Maybe this British host was just exaggerating after receiving a bribe.

In the 10s, for a country with virtually no motorsport foundation, never overestimate the motorsport knowledge of the average South Korean viewer. They were more influenced by emotional values ​​than by rational thinking.

"North, you can enter the station ahead of schedule."

Odette's instructions came through the headset: the current lap time is the limit that the HRT car can achieve on the wet track, which has far exceeded the team's expectations.

Furthermore, considering the remaining time in qualifying, there's only about one flying lap window left, so Chen Xiangbei doesn't need to change tires and continue racing.

"Ah."

Chen Xiangbei, who was on the return lap, heard the team's instruction, gave a brief response, and drove his race car toward the pit lane entrance. From a distance, he could see several race cars parked in the pit lane, and the team's mechanics were using tire warming blankets to preheat the tires.

It's important to know that after qualifying, teams will push their cars directly into the garage for post-race maintenance, instead of leaving them in the pit lane, and they certainly won't wrap the tires with warming blankets.

There's only one reason for this: the other teams that made it into Q3 haven't given up yet, and they also plan to run their last flying lap on soft red tires!

“Odetto, I have a feeling something’s wrong. Qualifying isn’t over yet.”

Chen Xiangbei immediately pressed the voice call button on the steering wheel, his intuition telling him that he couldn't hold onto the top spot.

“I know there is still one more flying lap window, and other teams will not give up the competition in advance.”

Odeto readily admitted that if Chen Xiangbei could see the mechanic warming up the tires, how could he not see it?
"I need to change the tire. I want to run one more lap."

[Want to run another lap?]

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's request, the fleet strategy team at the maintenance depot exchanged bewildered glances.

Judging from the in-car footage, Chen Xiangbei's lap just now was, to be honest, extremely dangerous.

Often, the distance between the car body and the concrete retaining wall can be described in millimeters. If you look closely, you can even see some white marks on the front wing, which is the dust that has been rubbed off by the retaining wall.

As members of the team's strategy group, they naturally wanted Chen Xiangbei to achieve even faster and better results.

In particular, team leader Odette is a radical by nature, and he once encouraged Chen Xiangbei to take risks for the sake of results instead of choosing to be conservative and cowardly.

But this time, Odette understood that the current speed was already the limit of Chen Xiangbei's and the car's grip.

Wet tracks are fundamentally different from dry surfaces. They exceed the limits of tire grip and mechanical downforce. Even if you're a racing god, you'll still slip if you're going to.

If you keep going all in, the risks and rewards are disproportionate, and the danger level increases exponentially.

Even a gambler wouldn't bet on a game they're guaranteed to lose!

"Bei, you might be a little too excited. You need to control your emotions."

Odeto calmly offered a reminder: "A normal person would be extremely excited to suddenly appear at the top of the leaderboard and wouldn't want to be surpassed."

But that's how paddock lap times are; different car models, different times of day, different track conditions, and even different weather conditions and driver condition can all result in different speeds.

It's perfectly normal for rankings to change during the qualifying rounds; Chen Xiangbei needs to get used to it and accept it.

"I can go even faster."

Without offering any explanation, Chen Xiangbei gave the answer directly.

That means he can go even faster!

Even without rain, track conditions are not always the same, especially since the Lingyan Circuit is located in a port area, where the sea breeze is stronger than that of a typical inland circuit.

Over time, even if the track's drainage system is in terrible condition, it will dry out a bit under the sea breeze.

If other riders choose to run another flying lap, it means the racing line will be drier and more rubber granules will fall off, giving riders starting later a grip advantage.

HRT team strategy has already prepared for a one-stop, which means that Chen Xiangbei does not need to prepare multiple sets of soft red tires for the main race. He can drive on a new set of soft tires to compete for flying laps!

"Your wiring just now was already very dangerous, on the verge of getting out of control."

Odeto offered another word of advice, not because he didn't believe Chen Xiangbei could be faster.

Trying to break lap records at the current speed would be risking your life.

To be honest, it's very rare for Odeto to give advice twice; he's usually the one urging the driver to go faster.

This also shows that Chen Xiangbei has indeed reached his limit, and it would be extremely dangerous for him to push himself to the limit again.

"If an F1 driver is afraid to take risks, what right does he have to compete for the championship?"

Chen Xiangbei retorted forcefully, "A small convoy with slow cars is already at a disadvantage from the start."

To win, you have to go to extremes!

The wet and slippery track is the only factor that can affect the performance of the car. The opportunity and victory are right in front of you, and you can get to the top of the leaderboard. Why give up at this time?

Chen Xiangbei had an inherent arrogance. Since the Koreans had been mocking him for two days, he should slap them hard and let them know who the real top driver in Asia was, and that they were so strong that they didn't even have the right to look up to him!

Those European bastards at least had a wealthy past; they basically monopolized the F1 world championships.

South Korea's racing results are hardly worthy of mocking me.

"Extreme danger can lead to death!"

Throughout his decades-long career, Odette has witnessed too many fatal accidents involving professional drivers, including Senna.

Chen Xiangbei's failure to encounter a major accident shows that he underestimated the dangers of F1.

"I'd rather be shattered to pieces than slow down."

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's reply, the usually assertive Odeto fell silent.

As Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car got closer and closer to the pit lane, and all the team's mechanics were looking at him, Odette knew he had no time to hesitate any longer.

"Prepare a new set of soft tires, and Bei will run another flying lap."

Odeto finally made his decision.

Almost the instant he finished speaking, cars from other teams drove into the pit lane, eager to make the most of the last moments of qualifying and achieve a flying lap time on the soft red tires.

Time ticked by, and the train pulled into the pit to change the tire, warmed it up, and pushed it at full speed...

Each process proceeded according to the established procedure, and the situation on the track unfolded exactly as Chen Xiangbei had predicted.

With the soft red tires on, the wet and slippery Lingyan Circuit is no challenge for top F1 professional drivers, especially those top-level rain racing experts!
Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, Webber, and Button – within a minute, Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time was surpassed by five drivers in succession, and his fastest lap time was an astonishing 1 minute 35.659 seconds.

Chen Xiangbei ultimately failed to influence the course of history. Even with rain during qualifying, the top driver still achieved top-level speeds, and the pole position time at Lingyan Circuit still broke the 1 minute 35 second barrier.

Just when everyone thought the dust had settled and McLaren's Hamilton was about to take pole position at Lingyan Circuit, a black and orange race car took off and crossed the starting line.

Chen Xiangbei hasn't given up yet; he will set the final qualifying lap time!

(End of this chapter)