Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 292 A Rising Star

"Is the Chinese kid going to run again?"

Looking at Chen Xiangbei speeding along the track, McLaren boss Dennis sounded quite surprised.

They have confirmed through tail speed monitoring that the engine output of Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car is low, about 3 to 5 kilometers per hour lower than that of his teammate Perez.

Furthermore, this wasn't just a random low lap time; from practice to qualifying, his maximum top speed on every lap was slower than Perez's, which undoubtedly indicates a problem with the power unit.

The car malfunction during the second practice session also provided evidence for this speculation.

Based on calculations by McLaren engineers and a comparison with Perez's lap time, the Q3's time of 1 minute 36.311 seconds should be the limit of Chen Xiangbei's current race car.

The HRT team wasn't satisfied and wanted Chen Xiangbei to do another flying lap. Didn't they consider the consequences?

"Bei doesn't want to give up the top spot; this guy is really going all out."

Whitmarsh muttered a reply, saying that he didn't know Chen Xiangbei, but he was very familiar with Ross Brown.

The other party mentioned Chen Xiangbei's hard work and madness more than once, which is why he was able to create miracles all the way to enter the F1 paddock.

Do you think Hamilton's pole position is at risk?

Dennis didn't care about Chen Xiangbei; he was only worried about Hamilton.

It's important to know that Hamilton brought a sense of "revenge" and a winning mentality to this race, intending to crush Chen Xiangbei and show this Chinese principal who the real superstar in the paddock is and who the future F1 superstar driver is.

Dennis couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if they lost.

He didn't have God's perspective and didn't know how resilient Hamilton was, or how he could become a seven-time world champion comparable to Schumacher.

From today's perspective, even though Hamilton has won the world championship, he is still immature and his journey has been too smooth.

His tendency to complain, in particular, leads people to mistakenly believe that he is psychologically fragile and may be unable to accept the reality of failure.

The competition between top F1 drivers is more like a battle of wits between masters, involving not only skill but also mentality.

Dennis worried that Hamilton would have a mental breakdown and start questioning himself.

"should……"

Whitmarsh wanted to say there should be no risk, but he stopped himself from saying it.

To be honest, no one knows exactly how much potential the young Chinese boy has yet.

Just as no one could have predicted that he would take the stage in the rain in Australia and win the championship in China.

In recent years, Formula 1 has been developing towards a younger and more talented team. Whether it's Raikkonen, Hamilton, or Vettel, they have repeatedly broken the record for the youngest player in F1, constantly pushing the boundaries of people's understanding.

In the past, there may have been late-blooming world champions like Damon Hill and Jason Button, but in the future, they will probably all be geniuses around twenty years old, destined to make a name for themselves as soon as they enter the paddock!
Seeing that Whitmarsh remained silent, Dennis didn't press the matter further, perhaps he already knew the answer in his heart.

On the track, Chen Xiangbei continued to speed, and in order to improve his fastest lap time, many of his racing lines were so bad that a slight mistake could lead to a fatal crash.

At many long straight sections, Chen Xiangbei braked extremely late, practically "skating" on the track. The broadcast cameras could almost see him sliding with his tires locked, and the distance was as exaggerated as one or two meters.

Chen Xiangbei may not have reached the level of drifting through corners, but he did indeed drift into corners.

Furthermore, according to the data detected by the racing car's sensors, Chen Xiangbei's time at full throttle in corners improved by a full three seconds compared to the previous lap, meaning that he was challenging the limits of the track with every corner he took.

Since we can't improve the car's performance, we can only work on the track itself.

As a result, many of his cornering scenarios have reached the ideal line speed simulated by computers in rainy conditions, achieving a level of precision comparable to that of a robot.

To be honest, in Odette's eyes, it's not just about driving skills; luck also plays a part.

The problem is that luck can help once, but it can't help the Lingyan Circuit with its 18 turns. If Chen Xiangbei continues like this, he will eventually make a mistake!
"Team leader, we can't keep driving like this in the north."

Hiroki Sawano also realized that the risks were completely out of control, and offered a suggestion to Odette.

In fact, Odette was well aware of this, but the problem was that under the current circumstances, he didn't even dare to activate the team's voice chat.

It's possible that this sudden sound will distract Chen Xiangbei and cause an accident.

"This kid is really daring."

Briatore, who is usually jovial, spoke up after seeing this scene.

He didn't care much about the safety or even the lives of his drivers. In later years, in order to achieve better results for the team, Briatore repeatedly used psychological manipulation tactics on the team's rookies, causing them to break down and fall into a vicious cycle of wanting to drive fast, then crashing, wanting to go even faster to prove themselves, and then crashing again.

Every crash is a threat to the driver's life, but Briatore seems to enjoy it.

Whether you live or die is your problem. If you can't produce results and speed, even if you don't die, I will still "kill" you.

This time, however, he was somewhat shocked.

It's important to know that Chen Xiangbei doesn't face any risk of being "kicked out" by the team, and his performance would be more than enough to secure a contract renewal for next year, even without relying on the team's Chinese capital stake.

Which team would turn down a race win in their rookie season?

If Chen Xiangbei wanted, he could even sign a long-term contract directly!

This driver, who had no pressure to secure a seat, still chose to recklessly challenge himself to set a new lap time.

This represents a complete subversion of values ​​for Briatore, who has always prioritized profit.

Regardless of profit, only for victory or defeat, Chen Xiangbei is a pure racer!

"Park, I have a feeling that the North lap will be faster. Do you still think he's a gambler?"

Even in the studio, Reid could feel the intense fighting spirit and will to fight emanating from Chen Xiangbei's speed and control.

To be honest, Reid hasn't felt this way from a young driver in many years.

The last person who gave him a similar feeling was named Kimi Räikkönen.

That Finnish ice man also has this ruthless and taciturn nature!
"He's relying on luck even to take corners now, isn't that gambling?"

Park Dong-wook countered with a question.

"No, Bei is challenging himself."

"You can call it luck if you get through a corner once, but no driver can get through all eighteen corners by luck alone."

"Park, you underestimate North."

This time, Reid did not choose to remain silent; instead, he firmly demonstrated his support for Chen Xiangbei's adventurous and challenging spirit.

This is the true spirit of racing, this is what a true driver is!

"That's right, Chen Xiangbei is far more powerful than you imagine!"

"Learn more about Bei; his entry into the F1 paddock was definitely not due to luck." "Bei's past comparison to Raikkonen was considered a bluff, but now he deserves it!"

"Go Chen Xiangbei, take pole position and dominate the Lingyan Circuit!"

Whether they were Chinese fans or a small number of foreign fans, everyone in the audience cheered for Chen Xiangbei.

If Chen Xiangbei can secure pole position in two consecutive races, he will surpass Hamilton and Vettel to become the first rookie in F1 history to achieve two consecutive pole positions.

Many car enthusiasts wouldn't have dared to dream of this before, but at this moment they felt there was a very high chance of it happening. Chen Xiangbei's fighting spirit was so intense that it gave people an invisible sense of awe!

"Shut up, you Chinese!"

"Chen Xiangbei wants to dominate the Lingyan racetrack, even in his next life!"

"The qualifying race isn't over yet, don't crash and kill yourself."

"The Korean circuit can never be dominated by a Chinese driver. Remember, it can never be!"

The South Korean spectators in the stands were completely devastated, responding with insults and curses.

They were initially convinced that Chen Xiangbei was a rookie who had simply used his wealth to get a F1 racing license and then somehow managed to win a race in the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Korean Grand Prix immediately exposed their true colors. They barely made it through qualifying, barely scraping by. Does such a rookie even deserve the word "dominate"?
As a result, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Chen Xiangbei's Q3 speed increased with each lap, and he managed to reach the top position on the wet and slippery track after the rain using soft red tires. Now he is even aiming for pole position!
If there is no hope of achieving this, they can sit back and mock us.

As Chen Xiangbei got closer and closer to pole position, the South Korean audience became increasingly anxious.

As I said before, the weak will only be mocked and scorned.

Only the strong can make them break down when they're desperate!

Of course, Chinese fans tried to fight back, but in someone else's home turf, their voices were completely drowned out by insults, which appeared to outsiders as an overwhelming scene.

"Uncle Liang, I understand now why Brother Bei is fighting for pole position in this race."

Ah Yong and the others in the P room could hear the sounds from the stands very clearly.

"Only absolute victory can shut these people up!"

Liang Chi understood what A Yong wanted to say, and he silently responded.

If entering Q3 doesn't silence the critics, then take pole position.

If pole position isn't enough, Chen Xiangbei will aim for the championship.

If winning a single race isn't enough, then I'll become the world champion.

As the saying goes, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second place." That's the good thing about competitive sports.

That means the champion will be the undisputed winner!
Time ticked by, and as Chen Xiangbei rounded the last bend, he sprinted across the finish line at full throttle.

The number 1 minute 35 seconds 585 was frozen on the big screen.

Chen Xiangbei regained the top spot in the third qualifying session with a 0.1-second lead over Hamilton.

Almost simultaneously, the stopwatch for the qualifying countdown stopped, signifying the official end of Saturday's qualifying session for the F1 Korean Grand Prix.

Chen Xiangbei secured pole position at the Korean Grand Prix and became the new track record holder!
"Damn, that's the power of China's racing legend!"

"Pole position! Chen Xiangbei did it, he has dominated the Lingyan Circuit!"

"The Korean bastards are still yelling, why aren't they yelling anymore? Remember, Chen Xiangbei is the conqueror of your track!"

"Beiwei will definitely become a superstar in the automotive world, absolutely!"

"Chen Xiangbei has won the championship again in the main competition, making the world take notice!"

The Chinese fans at the scene went wild, shouting almost at the top of their lungs to vent their excitement and exuberance.

Before the race, no one could have predicted that Chen Xiangbei would take pole position on a brand new track, creating a new F1 record.

Inside the pit lanes of each team, the sight of Chen Xiangbei's lap time when he finally overtook Hamilton was almost utterly astonishing.

Hamilton has been hailed as a future super genius in rain games, but the Chinese kid is even faster than him. Does this mean that Senna's mantle will be passed on to a new successor?

In particular, many people see Bruno Senna of the Lotus team as a successor to the Senna family name and spirit when he enters the F1 paddock, hoping that the younger Senna can achieve the same results as his uncle and carry the banner of Brazilian motorsport.

However, limited by his talent and the performance of his car, Bruno basically hovered at the bottom of the pack, and even in rainy races, he didn't have any outstanding performances.

Now, watching Chen Xiangbei create miracles, he felt a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe. This glory should have been inherited by him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the qualifying session for the 2010 F1 Korean Grand Prix has concluded. Chinese driver Bei secured pole position with a time of 1 minute 35.585 seconds, setting a new track record."

"With his unparalleled courage and exquisite technique, driver Bei conquered the Lingyan Circuit and became the first driver in F1 history to achieve two consecutive pole positions in his rookie season."

"Let's once again give a warm round of applause and cheers to congratulate this rising star of F1!"

Reid's tone was very excited, and he no longer referred to Chen Xiangbei as a rookie or a newcomer.

Instead, they were given the title of rising star!

As the saying goes, every generation produces its own talented people, and each era will always produce a few outstanding and representative drivers.

The legend of the 70s and 80s was Niki Lauda, ​​the god of the 90s was Ayrton Senna, and no one could rival Schumacher in the first decade of the 21st century.

If we broaden the criteria to include newcomers, the three strongest newcomers of the first decade of the 21st century will undoubtedly be Alonso, Raikkonen, and Hamilton.

But in the final year, perhaps Chen Xiangbei's name will be added to the list!
Chen Xiangbei may not have won the world championship yet, but he has already shown the potential of a superstar and has the courage and strength to challenge Hamilton and even defeat these predecessors.

Reid had no doubt that Chen Xiangbei would become that dazzling new star!
Chen Xiangbei, who was in the return circle, was unaware of his score at this moment, and Odette did not have the habit of proactively informing him.

This can be considered one of Odette's strategies. He believes that only when drivers do not know their lap times and the results of their opponents will they maintain a strong sense of crisis and keep their fighting spirit and determination to continue to break through.

Whether the driver himself can withstand the curiosity and sense of crisis is not Odeto's concern.

However, judging from the results, Chen Xiangbei is fine.

Although Odeto did not inform him, Chen Xiangbei did not inquire via radio.

However, he had already understood his achievement from the audience's reaction.

Pole position! I'm the winner of the qualifying round at Lingyan Circuit!
To be honest, compared to the excitement of taking pole position at the Donghai Circuit, Chen Xiangbei felt more of a sense of exhilaration at this moment.

The thrill of slapping someone hard across the face and then riding on their back!

From this day forward, the history of Yeongam Circuit in South Korea will forever bear the name of Chen Xiangbei!

(End of this chapter)