Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 307 An Unfathomable Strategy
"Kubica, can't you overtake him?"

Seeing that Kubica hadn't been able to break through Chen Xiangbei's defense after two laps, Renault team manager Buril was really anxious this time.

Brill knew from the beginning that Chen Xiangbei was very talented; otherwise, as one of the "Big Three" racing teams, he wouldn't have extended an olive branch to the Chinese kid, even if it was just to offer him the role of a test driver.

However, at that time, Chen Xiangbei was the backup plan, and the team's real core player was Kubica.

Even if Chen Xiangbei was very talented, at least in Buril's mind at the time, he was not as good as Kubica.

Keep in mind that this was a teammate whom even Hamilton was wary of, and even Rosberg didn't catch the eye of this youngest world champion in history.

However, as time went on, Chen Xiangbei's growth rate became increasingly terrifying. More than once, Buril comforted himself, saying that Kubica was no worse than the Chinese kid; it was just that the other guy was in better form and had a better HRT race car.

But there are no excuses this time. The Renault car's performance should be comparable to the HRT car with reduced power. Kubica also has an absolute advantage in tires. There is no reason why they can't overtake Chen Xiangbei when his tires are cold!

Reality, however, is cruel. Kubica couldn't overtake him even after two laps. As Chen Xiangbei's tires reached operating temperature and fuel consumption reduced the vehicle's weight, the scales were tilting more and more in favor of the Chinese boy.

One more lap and Kubica will be completely out of the running.

"I...I don't know."

Kubica sensed Brill's urgency; to be honest, he was even more anxious than the Renault team manager.

He just couldn't understand why Chen Xiangbei always seemed to know his overtaking routes in advance and block them. Did the other party have the ability to foresee the future?
"Team leader, we can't put any more pressure on Kubica."

Sensing something amiss in his tone, Renault's director, Nelson, offered some words of advice to Burrier.

Kubica only entered F1 as a substitute driver in late 06, and hadn't even completed three years of F1 driving. By today's standards, he could be considered a third-year student who hadn't graduated.

Kubica was clearly in a daze; he couldn't find a way to break through Chen Xiangbei's defenses, which is why he gave the answer "I don't know."

If Burir wants to put more pressure on Kubica, he should tell him to risk his life!
Nelson knew the Polish driver's character; he was definitely not someone to be trifled with, but a ruthless person who was willing to risk his life for speed and results.

Is it really necessary to put the team's core players and future hopes under such immense pressure, given that it's just a points zone in a single race, to do something irrational?
After hearing Nelson's advice, Burrell calmed down.

He let out a long breath, then pressed the headset call button and said, "Kubica, follow the car first, then look for an opportunity."

“COPY.”

Kubica's reply came through the earpiece. He also understood that there was no use in rushing things in this situation. He could only continue to press and pressure Chen Xiangbei and wait for him to make a mistake.

The question is, if even a veteran like Barrichello couldn't put pressure on him, can Kubica, a third-year player, do the same?
The answer is self-evident.

“Burier, the way he adapted to the Lingyan Circuit at the North Station was vaguely reminiscent of the Donghai Circuit. Kubica didn’t achieve the same level of familiarity.”

Being able to anticipate and block overtaking routes in advance is not some kind of prophetic miracle.

Rather, within a certain speed range, there are only a few overtaking routes. If you use an inappropriate speed to take an inappropriate route, the result will either be that you cannot overtake, or you will run off the track. There is no third option.

To know which speed to take which route, you need to be extremely familiar with the track.

Nielsen couldn't understand how Chen Xiangbei managed to have a "home advantage" at Lingyan Circuit, a brand-new track hosting the F1 Grand Prix for the first time.
Faced with this question, Burrier also could not answer it. From the first day he entered the F1 paddock, this Chinese kid was full of miracles and mysteries!
If Chen Xiangbei knew what Renault's management was thinking, he would explain it using a line from the ancient Chinese story "The Oil Vendor".

"I have no other skill than practice makes perfect."

Chen Xiangbei is the only driver among all the teams who spent a lot of money to bring a racing simulator to the track. Since arriving at the Yeongam Circuit in South Korea on Wednesday, Chen Xiangbei has been training with the simulator for no less than ten hours every day.

Even during Perez's training sessions, Chen Xiangbei would sit beside him and watch, learning and discussing different line-following techniques.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei doesn't think he's that much more talented than Kubica.

Although this Polish driver doesn't have a world championship title, as the first junior driver pre-booked by Ferrari, and having won the World Touring Car Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with one hand after a crash, his talent is so exceptional that he can't possibly fall out of the top tier.

But one thing Chen Xiangbei is certain of is that he is definitely working harder than Kubica is now!
When there is no fundamental difference in talent between the two sides, the competition comes down to who works harder, who can dedicate more time to training, and who can drive more laps on the simulator to familiarize themselves with the track.

In the future, if the talents of Verstappen and Hamilton were swapped, but their personalities and behaviors remained unchanged, Verstappen would still be the one to ultimately prevail.

Because of the unequal investment and effort put into racing by both sides, Verstappen truly turned his profession into a hobby, rather than turning his hobby into a profession.

I, Chen Xiangbei, have practiced my route on the simulator hundreds and thousands of times. Why is it that Kubica, without even running a single lap, can become more familiar with it just by relying on a few hours of practice?

Unless you have far superior talent than me, you won't be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

It's a pity that your talent isn't necessarily better than mine!

Unable to launch another offensive, Kubica could only watch as Chen Xiangbei, whose tires had reached operating temperature, gradually increased the distance between them.

Still can't do it?

Kubica asked himself a question. He had thought that Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 car would have a reduced performance in this race, giving him a chance to turn the tide.

Now it all seems more like a dream!
While Chen Xiangbei's situation has improved, Perez's situation has collapsed.

Schumacher, who was in the back car, seized the opportunity after a lap of pursuit and easily overtook Perez. There was no fierce defense or struggle throughout the process, as if everything was going smoothly.

After all, even if Perez were to be considered a driver with exceptional absolute speed in later generations, he would not be considered a driver with exceptional speed. He usually won by relying on his long-distance stability, let alone in his current rookie stage.

Facing the "older" Schumacher, without the advantage of tires, he simply couldn't withstand the racing legend's attack.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the race has reached 25 laps, and we are about to pass the halfway mark. The situation on the track is becoming more stable, and many drivers are focusing on long-distance tire maintenance as their tactical objective."

"However, I noticed a detail: HRT driver Bei's car distance is gradually closing to his teammate Perez. To be honest, I'm curious whether these two drivers will have another battle or cooperate once again?"

"The line between friend and foe is very thin!"

The monitoring data that Red saw was correct. The distance between Chen Xiangbei's car and the station had decreased from 2.54 seconds when the car first left the station to 1.97 seconds, and the distance was still decreasing.

Once the shot is within a second, Chen Xiangbei has a chance to catch Perez's tail and enter the traditional offensive range.

However, the relationship between Chen Xiangbei and Perez has already undergone several reversals in this match, to the point that even the commentators are unsure of what they will do.

"The race is only about halfway through, and I don't think the HRT team will fight amongst themselves."

"Indeed, fighting amongst themselves at this point would not benefit either driver."

"Starting on yellow tires tells us that HRT's one-stop strategy is flawed. They're going to run the whole course on white tires, so why would they needlessly wear out their tires?" "SHIT! The two HRT drivers are definitely going to coordinate again!"

The audience in the paddock began to discuss the matter, with the vast majority believing that Chen Xiangbei and Perez would collaborate again.

Although switching to hard white tires slows down the wear rate, it is still difficult to complete more than 30 laps with a set of tires. Tire protection will still be the top priority, and internal tire wear will only increase tire wear.

In addition, as the number one driver, Chen Xiangbei can use Perez to create a slipstream cruise, which will significantly reduce his tire wear rate, which is in the best interests of both the team and the driver.

Overall, dual-vehicle cruise control is currently the optimal solution.

After 26 laps, the distance between the cars reached 1.67 seconds, and Chen Xiangbei was still steadily accelerating.

On the 27th lap, the distance between the cars suddenly decreased to 1.13 seconds, which meant that Chen Xiangbei had already pushed.

On lap 28, Chen Xiangbei caught up directly to the rear of Perez's car, bringing the closest distance between the two cars to around 0.5.

Leading his teammate by 0.5 seconds in a single lap surprised many onlookers. Was it because Perez's cruise control speed was too slow, or because Chen Xiangbei pushed too hard to absorb the wake?

Looking at his teammate's car, number 13, in the rearview mirror, Perez's expression was very serious.

His intuition told him that this time Chen Xiangbei's pursuit was not to ride the taillights, but to overtake him quickly!
To be honest, Perez is very grateful to the team and Chen Xiangbei. If it were another big team, he wouldn't even have the chance to battle with the number one driver, and he wouldn't be at the front of the line for pit stops when both cars are on the same lap.

In a sense, the HRT team has achieved absolute fairness.

But gratitude does not mean giving up; the only way for a driver to prove his worth is through results.

Without good results, no matter how harmonious the relationship with the team and teammates is, one cannot escape the fate of being abandoned.

Just like Bottas in later years, who diligently followed the team's instructions, Hamilton had partnered with so many people, and he was the only former teammate with whom he maintained a friendly relationship without falling out. Logically speaking, he should have been very comfortable staying with the Mercedes team.

The reality is that Bottas only signed one-year contracts, and even though he had achieved the world runner-up title, he was never given a guaranteed long-term contract.

As they aged and their performance declined, Mercedes didn't hesitate to choose the younger and more promising Russell.

Perez understood this principle well, and no matter how much he understood and appreciated it, he would still do everything in his power to stop Chen Xiangbei.

There can only be one winner!
Just as Perez intuitively predicted, after Chen Xiangbei arrived in the attack zone, this time he did not use the wake turbulence to overtake, but instead suddenly changed lanes and used the slingshot effect to launch himself overtake.

The appearance of this fierce offensive truly overturned many people's expectations.

They all thought the HRT team would employ a two-car strategy, trying their best to preserve the tires and fight for the final battle.

As a result, just halfway through the competition, Chen Xiangbei ruthlessly killed his own teammate?

"Damn it, I really don't understand the HRT team anymore. Are the two drivers putting on a love-hate relationship?"

"What is the HRT team's strategy group doing? Why do their instructions seem contradictory? Are they asking the drivers to cooperate or fight against each other?"

"I feel like the HRT team's strategy group didn't give any instructions at all, leaving the drivers to do whatever they wanted!"

"Do F1 teams really behave this unprofessionally?"

"Nothing is surprising about a freak like Briatore!"

At that moment, the HRT team gave the audience the feeling of a Ferrari team in later generations, highlighting a strategy group that was hard to fathom.

"Red, Chen Xiangbei finally couldn't resist and launched an attack. Do you think he can succeed this time?"

Park Dong-wook asked a question.

He no longer dares to give a definitive definition, after all, the Chinese have proven him wrong too easily.

"North's defense was very successful. If they hadn't deliberately let Perez pass, I'm afraid this Mexican newcomer wouldn't have been able to get past him."

"Now North is showing its offensive prowess. I wonder how Perez's defense will be. If he can't hold on, he'll really get a lesson."

"Given North's past aggressive overtaking tactics, I think the Mexican newcomer is unlikely to be able to hold on."

Red didn't mince words and spoke his mind directly.

In fact, Schumacher's overtaking maneuver earlier had already given a warning.

Perez can't stop the veteran racing king, and he'll probably have even less chance of stopping the sharp young driver, Bei!

However, Perez himself did not think so. He was overtaken by Schumacher not only because of the similarity in tires, but also because of a psychological disadvantage.

The opponent is none other than the famous seven-time champion!

This psychological disadvantage wasn't unique to Perez; Chen Xiangbei also experienced it when he first entered the competition.

His experiences across two lifetimes instilled in him the idea that F1 drivers are all "gods," and that he himself is merely an ant standing outside the threshold.

However, relying on his strength and achievements, Chen Xiangbei defeated his opponents time and time again, completely reversing his psychological disadvantage and showing an unstoppable momentum.

This was Perez's first professional F1 race. He had not yet built up his confidence through victories, and when he suddenly faced Schumacher, he instinctively chickened out and dared not engage in a hard wheel-to-wheel battle.

Food is not scary.

Fear is the only way to lose!
However, Schumacher could exert unspeakable psychological pressure on Perez, something Chen Xiangbei could not do.

Because he is also a rookie, and he can have direct contact with his teammates, it is difficult for him to create any halo effect.

Compared to his offense, Perez believed he was stronger defensively, a fact that was later proven when he stopped Hamilton from helping Verstappen win the title.

Perez had made all the necessary preparations and was just waiting for Chen Xiangbei to come at him.

When his teammate attempted a catapult overtake, Perez didn't hesitate to change lanes and move into the defensive line to block the car.

But a strange thing happened. Perez made a mistake in his defensive line, and his speed was too fast, causing him to take a wide turn, leaving a lot of space for Chen Xiangbei to pass easily.

The onlookers were stunned once again. The two looked very powerful before the fight, but when it really started, Perez chose to hold back?

(End of this chapter)