Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 309 Top-Tier Collinear Cornering

Having grasped the meaning of Odeto's words, Chen Xiangbei's aura was once again amplified.

In F1, there's no tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young; instead, it highlights a young and strong individual beating up the Nanshan Nursing Home and kicking the Beihai Kindergarten.

So what if he's the racing legend? We'll take you down, Schumacher!

With another burst of acceleration, Chen Xiangbei once again entered Schumacher's wake zone. This time, the distance between the two cars was closer than ever before, with the space between their front and rear ends measurable in centimeters.

"Is the Chinese guy still not going to give up? Does he really think he can challenge the racing legend?"

"Stop making pointless attacks, let's think about how to preserve tire life and get points."

"Driver Bei, you are not worthy to be Schumacher's opponent!"

"Without the performance advantage of a racing car, HRT is just a roadside car when facing Schumacher!"

There is an old Chinese saying, "A dog relies on its master's power," and this group of South Korean audience members once used Hamilton's influence to overpower Chen Xiangbei.

However, Chen Xiangbei's impulsive mistakes at the beginning caused a large gap between the two, and they have not yet had the opportunity to fight.

Now this group of viewers is again using Schumacher's "momentum" and is absolutely confident that the racing legend can crush Chen Xiangbei.

"Bullshit! Chen Xiangbei has beaten Schumacher before, so why can't he win again?"

One of the Chinese audience members, listening to the barrage of taunts from the South Korean audience, finally lost his temper and retaliated.

After Chen Xiangbei made a mistake at the start and around the corner, the Chinese audience became much more subdued. After all, Chen Xiangbei's performance was not outstanding. As the saying goes, if you make a mistake, you should admit it and take it seriously. If you didn't run well, why are you still praising yourself? Isn't that just humiliating yourself?
But now the situation is somewhat different. Chen Xiangbei's performance in the middle of the race, whether it was overtaking, defending, or coordinating with his teammates in a two-car tactical manner, can be described as impeccable.

Now they've even climbed back to eighth place!

If we consider that the front-row drivers need to pit once or twice more, Chen Xiangbei's timing might be even better, and he might already be in the top five.

This kind of behavior, coupled with mockery, is simply intolerable!

"You're just jealous and resentful that Chen Xiangbei can challenge the world's champion because no South Korean driver has the opportunity?"

"Schumacher isn't invincible. Chen Xiangbei can win as long as he performs well enough!"

"Go for it, Chen Xiangbei!"

"I'll remember that. Your name is Che Shen Bei!"

Countless excited voices rang out. At this moment, not only the drivers but also the fans shattered their illusions about the "god".

On the track, Chen Xiangbei and Schumacher were neck and neck as they exited Turn 6. Next was the longest of the three long straights on the Lingyan Circuit, which was essentially the test zone for the cars' maximum speed.

The two race cars' top speeds instantly exceeded 300 km/h, and this number continued to climb. Chen Xiangbei decisively changed lanes, intending to use the acceleration brought by the wake effect to overtake.

320km/h, 330km/h, 335km/h!

Chen Xiangbei's car slowly passed Schumacher's rear wing, rear wheel, and sidecar...

When they reached the middle of the side box, the wake effect and the boost from the tailpipe were gone. At the same time, Chen Xiangbei's car was also affected by the turbulence from the car in front, resulting in a strange stalemate between the two cars.

"HRT racing has no clear advantage in this race, and they can't beat the North Super League."

McLaren team principal Whitmarsh said something understated.

It is now basically certain that the top speed limit of the HRT race car is around 335 km/h, which is more than ten kilometers slower than the exaggerated top speed of over 350 km/h in the previous Donghai race.

This race is Hamilton's revenge battle. Although he is currently unable to stop the two upgraded Red Bull cars, he has stubbornly held onto his third position and is engaged in a fierce battle with Alonso.

McLaren cars aren't particularly strong at the Lingyan Circuit, and the HRT cars, in terms of performance and development direction, have long been known as a "lower-spec Red Bull." If Hamilton were to drive like he did at his peak at the Donghai circuit, he might not be able to stop Chen Xiangbei.

For a proud young driver, losing once is acceptable.

If Hamilton loses to the same opponent two or three times in a row, even with his strong mental fortitude, it will likely affect his momentum and mentality.

Hamilton is now the absolute core of the McLaren team, and his second-year record of one win and one runner-up finish has surpassed all the historical drivers, so his future is limitless.

It would be unacceptable for McLaren to be defeated by a Chinese rookie.

At present, HRT racing cars cannot challenge McLaren in any way!
"Even with a performance advantage, it's not that easy to become Schumacher."

Dennis added.

As someone who witnessed the Ferrari dynasty, Schumacher was the epitome of invincibility for a long time.

Chen Xiangbei may have a place in the future, but after Schumacher retires...

The moment Dennis finished speaking, Chen Xiangbei and Schumacher had already arrived at the heavy braking zone at the end of the T6 long straight.

T7 and T8 are left-right combination corners, and T7 is a double-apex corner, which can be simply described as an asymmetrical long S-shaped corner, requiring extremely strict driving line skills from the driver.

This is not only about the difficulty of finding the two apex corners, but also about the speed of entering the T8 combination corner.

Historically, in the several F1 Grand Prix held at Lingyan Circuit, this has always been considered an unconventional overtaking point, mainly because it is too difficult and it is easy for opponents to overtake from the cross lanes.

However, Chen Xiangbei chose this overtaking point because he wanted to test his handling limits and see if he could reach the same level as the elderly Schumacher.

Only by challenging the difficult aspects can we verify their true value.

Just like stepping on the gas and using DRS to overtake on a long straight road, who can't do that?
The real strength lies in outmaneuvering your opponent by maneuvering through the curves!

The late braking at the end of the long straight allowed the already "stagnant" overtaking offensive of car number 13 to be boosted again, reaching a level comparable to that of Schumacher's Mercedes car number 3.

Schumacher glanced at the black and orange race car gradually catching up to his left, his expression calm. Similar battles had been countless in his career; it was just a matter of changing opponents.

No matter how talented Chen Xiangbei was, he was still just a rookie in front of Schumacher. Schumacher precisely controlled the car, guarding the best cornering line and not giving Chen Xiangbei any chance to take the lead.

Taking advantage of his inside lane position, Chen Xiangbei gradually moved his car in front of Schumacher. However, the inside lane has a smaller turning angle, which requires higher tire grip.

To avoid understeer caused by understeer, Chen Xiangbei was forced to lightly apply the brakes to slow down during the turn. Schumacher, on the other hand, relied on the greater space on the outside lane and used his faster cornering speed to gradually overtake him.

By the time they reached the second apex of Turn 7, Chen Xiangbei's front wing had returned to Schumacher's rear wheel position.

Just when everyone thought Schumacher was about to leave Chen Xiangbei behind, they were surprised to find that the No. 13 car's speed did not continue to decrease. He used the double-apex extended cornering line to catch up with the speed of the outside lane on the inside lane!

Schumacher couldn't control it?

When they witnessed this scene, the team members in the pit lane immediately realized something was wrong. The Mercedes team management, in particular, all wore extremely grave expressions.

Because T7 and T8 are a combination of curves, and T8 is a right curve.

This means that Chen Xiangbei, who was originally on the inside of the curve, will move to the outside of the curve as the steering angle changes!
The change in the direction of the turn means that the advantages of both sides will be reversed. Schumacher, who originally had the best line and faster speed in the outside lane, will replace Chen Xiangbei's situation and disadvantage after moving to the inside lane.

To overcome this disadvantage, theoretically, Schumacher would need to leave Chen Xiangbei far behind at Turn 7 and then quickly change lanes to the outside to regain the best cornering line.

Unfortunately, Schumacher wasn't fast enough, or rather, Chen Xiangbei was fast enough, so the front of his car was always right behind the rear of his opponent's car, making it impossible for him to change lanes and overtake.

If you're slow on one step, you'll be slow on every step!
And so an amazing scene unfolded on the track: two race cars, at incredible speeds, traced two S-shaped curves side by side through extremely narrow bends, performing all sorts of extreme maneuvers that were like dancing on the edge of a knife.

As for the exit of T8, Chen Xiangbei overtook Schumacher by relying on the faster exit speed on the outside of the corner!

"Did driver Bei overtake Schumacher by taking a corner on the same line?"

Inside the Mercedes pit lane, Field uttered those words in an incredulous tone.

In the previous races, Chen Xiangbei's overtaking of Schumacher was basically based on the absolute performance advantage of the car.

To put it simply, it's like dominating the opponent on a long, straight stretch.

This time it was completely different. The inside and outside players switched positions and took the corner in the same line. This can definitely be called the top overtaking technique in the paddock. It is a real hard skill!
"Is Bei really that powerful now?"

Ross Brown also muttered something to himself.

Honestly, having watched Chen Xiangbei grow step by step, he knew very well that this young Chinese driver was destined for greatness.

But Ross Brown didn't expect this day to come so soon, so suddenly.

Even Schumacher couldn't stop him?
Not to mention the Mercedes crew members, even Schumacher himself looked at Chen Xiangbei, who had overtaken him, with a hint of shock in his eyes.

No one knows himself better than Schumacher. He is well aware that with age and the effects of injuries, he can no longer reach his peak performance, and given the current performance of the Mercedes car, an eighth championship may be out of the question.

His willingness to return to the field stems largely from his friendship with Ross Brown and his connection with Mercedes, the German factory team.

Otherwise, Schumacher's comeback would have been with Ferrari.

But Schumacher absolutely did not believe that he could outrun Chen Xiangbei!
Neither the ROC Nations Cup nor the East China Sea match can be considered a direct confrontation between Chen Xiangbei and Schumacher.

This time, however, it's a real challenge to overtake.

The double-apex lane-grabbing and the overtaking maneuvers while cornering in the same line—the difficulty and precision of these maneuvers have completely surpassed Schumacher's understanding of Chen Xiangbei's driving skills.

Just before the competition, he felt that Chen Xiangbei needed to experience a setback in order to truly prove his ability to withstand pressure and his strength.

I never expected that I would be the one to become this "stepping stone"!
Has my era truly passed?
Schumacher was filled with mixed emotions, while the commentator, Red, went into a frenzy upon witnessing the scene.

"Beautiful! That overtaking maneuver was absolutely stunning. It's unbelievable that a rookie driver was going up against Schumacher. I can say without exaggeration that the overtaking was worthy of the terrifying handling of this year's top drivers!"

"A genius driver, an absolute genius driver! Bei has completely proven his talent and strength. He will become the most dazzling new star in Lingyan Circuit and even the F1 paddock. Today's race will be Bei's battle to make a name for himself!"

"Only adversity reveals true character!"

Reid practically shouted these words, saying that Alonso's victory over Schumacher at the San Marino Grand Prix in 05 solidified his future dominance in the F1 paddock.

Today it's Schumacher again. Can Chen Xiangbei surpass Hamilton and take over the baton of the king from Alonso?

"NICE, North did a great job."

Cheers erupted from the outdoor command post of the HRT fleet.

Briatore clenched his fist for the first time and praised Chen Xiangbei in an extremely excited tone.

After all, the peak of his career was built on the Renault team's victory over Ferrari's reign.

Briatore is very proud to have now led a newcomer to surpass Schumacher!
"Xiang Beijun was great, and it was also very thrilling."

Hiroki Sawano wasn't as flamboyant as Briatore. He knew how difficult it was for Chen Xiangbei to overtake, and that any mistake, no matter how small, would have consequences far exceeding those of running into the run-off area during the start and cornering phases.

"No matter how dangerous it is, Xiang Beijun will always pursue the wind and freedom, and the limits of racing."

Sho Mizutani's voice trembled with excitement. Chen Xiangbei, who was fearless and willing to take on challenges, was the perfect driver in his mind.

Compared to the excitement of the crew members, Odeto's expression was much calmer, and even the music revealed a complex emotion.

After a long while, Odette murmured, "Schumacher has ultimately lost the sharpness and edge he once had."

Unlike Briatore, Odette's career peaked during Ferrari's reign, and he was well aware of how arrogant and aggressive Schumacher was during that period.

Chen Xiangbei was able to overtake the car because of his driving skills and timing.

On the other hand, Schumacher did not make any strong blocking or closing of the door.

Even if Schumacher was prepared for a lose-lose situation, he would never tolerate his opponent overtaking him like that and would inevitably launch the most aggressive and fierce counterattack.

This time, Schumacher didn't do anything; he simply used the standard cable routing to block the path.

The feeling of watching familiar faces grow old is not a pleasant one.

“I admit that Bei’s overtaking maneuver was very difficult, but I don’t agree with his approach. It’s just like his aggressive and risky maneuver of blocking Hamilton at the start of the T1 corner, relying on his aggressive and risky approach to gamble on whether the other party will give way.”

"Hamilton did not back down, so Chen Xiangbei went off the track on his own."

"Schumacher didn't want to take risks with younger rookies, so Chen Xiangbei took a gamble and successfully overtook him."

Park Dong-wook still stubbornly insisted that he did not believe Schumacher could not stop Chen Xiangbei based on his ability.

The decision to let the Chinese boy off the hook was largely due to safety concerns.

“Park, there is never an absolutely safe way to overtake in F1, especially when you are in a weak position. You can only use a more aggressive approach to defeat your opponent.”

"Bei has done his best within his capabilities. He did not make any extreme or risky overtaking maneuvers. You should not view him with prejudice."

Reid cut to the chase: exciting matches should be enjoyed, not questioned.

As for safety, that's an eternal topic in F1. There's never any absolute safety; it all depends more on the driver's choices!

(End of this chapter)