Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 313 I Must Win This Match

Indeed, Chen Xiangbei's demeanor changed at this moment.

Previously, he was only thinking about fighting and not losing.

Now all he can think about is how to win!
The difference between winning and losing lies in Chen Xiangbei's change in mindset, even with legendary drivers like Alonso and Hamilton chasing behind him.

I'm going to win this game!

The three race cars sped along, with Alonso constantly using his dribbling skills to attack Chen Xiangbei.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei is under more pressure at this moment than when he was defending against Schumacher.

If it weren't for a change in mindset, he simply wouldn't have been able to stop Alonso.

It's important to know that Alonso's control over attack distance and slipstream effect far surpasses that of any other driver.

If I'm mistaken, it's any driver!

Even in the hybrid era with DRS, Alonso remains one of the few drivers who can rely on conventional wake turbulence to outpace his opponents on the track.

The other one is Hamilton.

However, Hamilton's ability to accept and learn new things is clearly superior to that of the old school, like Alonso, which is why he was able to become a seven-time champion.

Alonso's signature skill was his exceptional handling technique, which also became his limitation in later generations.

When hybrid technology becomes mainstream, when racing simulators become the training method, and when DRS changes the way overtaking is done, Alonso inevitably becomes somewhat out of touch with the times in many situations.

The reason they can still stand in the top tier is purely due to their personal strength.

If it were any other driver, they would probably have been eliminated by the times long ago!

At the same time, Alonso's heart was filled with shock and disbelief.

He now knows why Schumacher failed to overtake Chen Xiangbei; Perez's pursuit and restraint were only part of the reason.

The key factor lies in the speed and toughness of this Chinese kid.

There's absolutely no sign of a novice!

To be honest, Alonso had actually faced Chen Xiangbei before, and was even overtaken by him.

But that time, Alonso didn't even use half of his full strength, let alone 100%. He was completely caught off guard when Chen Xiangbei took an unprecedented overtaking route, making the whole process uneventful.

Not to mention Alonso himself, even outsiders don't think he can stop Chen Xiangbei.

More than anything, it was an unexpected stroke of luck for the Chinese newcomer to unexpectedly create a completely new route for overtaking.

The current situation is completely different. Alonso knows the level of performance he has put in, while Hamilton, behind him, has given up on attacking and chosen to sit back and watch the two fight it out, waiting for the moment to reap the benefits.

To put it simply, Alonso was essentially having a 1v1 match with Chen Xiangbei.

He couldn't overtake them in a 1v1, and the Ferrari cars in this race were no weaker than the HRT cars, leaving Alonso with no excuses.

The Chinese boy is no longer a rookie or a weakling; he has become strong enough to rival himself!

Lap 41, Lap 42, Lap 43...

Alonso followed behind Chen Xiangbei's car, but the much-anticipated overtaking maneuver never materialized.

As the tires reached operating temperature, Chen Xiangbei's defense became increasingly relaxed. The two cars went from violently trembling to a strange cruising state, and Alonso could no longer maintain an absolute lead in speed!

"With Schumacher in the past and Alonso in the future, I only knew about Chen Xiangbei's offense before, but I didn't expect him to be so good at defense as well."

"Chen Xiangbei is a well-rounded individual; he has no technical weaknesses!"

"North, well done! Keep blocking them like this!"

"If even Alonso can't get past him, then no one can threaten the North."

"Chen Xiangbei's defense is a new generation of steel Great Wall!"

The perfect defense amazed the audience, and the status of Schumacher and Alonso, two legendary drivers, further highlighted Chen Xiangbei's prestige.

However, the audience did not notice that the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense for another team, namely the Red Bull team that was leading the race.

With upgraded kits and a well-rounded car development system, the Red Bull Racing team displayed its prowess on the Lingyan high- and low-speed complex track, making it no exaggeration to call it a "Mars Rover" that is far ahead of the competition.

After overtaking Hamilton and Alonso in the early stages, the two Red Bull cars entered a long-distance cruising state, with no car able to threaten their position.

Everyone thought the race would end uneventfully with Red Bull finishing first and second, but no one expected Chen Xiangbei to catch up through a two-car strategy and undercut.

Currently, he is only 26 seconds behind Webber, who is in second place.

Keep in mind that Webber needs to pit again, which means that the actual difference between the two cars is less than 2 seconds!
There's a saying circulating online that describes business warfare: "The top player fought the second-largest player, and ended up eliminating the third-largest player in the market."

On the track, Chen Xiangbei pushed hard to get rid of Alonso, but the distance between him and Webber was getting shorter and shorter, almost matching the entire pit stop window.

Furthermore, Webber, who opted for the two-stop tactic, had already run more than twenty laps on his neutral yellow tires, which had long passed their peak grip. Currently, his lap time is more than one second slower than Chen Xiangbei's.

If this trend continues, there are at most two laps left. If Webber doesn't pit for a tire change, he will be undercut by Chen Xiangbei again, automatically ending up behind Chen Xiangbei's car after the pit stop.

"Horner, I request to be brought to the pits for a tire change."

Realizing the situation had suddenly worsened, Webber did not hesitate to press the radio communication button and proactively requested the team to pit for a tire change.

The original plan was to pit with eight laps remaining in the race, allowing him to utilize the full lifespan of the soft red tires. However, Chen Xiangbei's pursuit was too fast, forcing Webber to change tactics and pit two laps earlier for tire changes.

Although it was two laps behind the original plan, considering that the race was nearing its end, the car's fuel was almost used up, and the overall weight had been reduced by tens of kilograms, making two more laps was still within a safe and reasonable range.

At the same time Webber made his request to the team, Vettel also pressed the voice call button on the steering wheel.

He and Webber maintained a close, almost tethered relationship, with the two cars mostly within a second of each other. This meant that if Webber was at risk of being overtaken tactically, Vettel wouldn't fare much better.

Therefore, the tire change must be done in advance.

Hearing the two drivers' requests through his headset, Red Bull team principal Horner was caught in a dilemma.

In normal circumstances, if you want to avoid favoritism in this situation, both cars should pit together for tire changes. Whoever is in front goes first, and whoever is behind goes last. It's all about skill, and there's nothing more to say.

The problem is that Red Bull is a championship contender, and the risk of mistakes when both cars pit on the same lap is very high. No one in management would take that risk.

"Team leader, what should we do?"

Red Bull's chief race engineer, Monaan, looked at Horner and asked him a question.

Whoever gets to the station first has a greater chance of becoming the champion.

Conversely, the one that enters the station later is most likely to be cannon fodder.

In fact, it wasn't just Monaan; the entire Red Bull strategy team was focused on Horner.

This answer will not only determine who wins the championship, but will also determine the team's future core player.

It's important to understand that at this time, Red Bull Racing was far from the "Big Three" team that Verstappen had been with. It was just a young team that had only been in the paddock for a few years and had never tasted the glory of being a championship team. Without the accumulation and experience of championships, there was naturally no absolute control over the drivers. Vettel and Webber were still in a stage of fair competition, and there was no clear distinction between the number one and number two drivers.

Of course, in the minds of the team owners and management, German Vettel is more important than Australian veteran Webber.

"Vettel, get in first."

Horner made his decision without much time for thought or hesitation.

Vettel was in the lead and should have had the right of way.

Moreover, from a purely rational perspective, Vettel, as the lead car, has a better chance of winning the championship than Webber, and there is no reason for the car behind him to pit first.

Even if Weber submitted the application first.

"Team leader, Vettel can still hold on. His pit stop being a lap later won't have a big impact on the situation. Webber is in a very dangerous situation right now!"

At this point, Webber's game engineer, Pilbim, stepped forward to express his opposition.

Vettel was two to three seconds ahead of Chen Xiangbei. The Chinese kid couldn't possibly catch up that much in a single lap. He could easily hold on for another lap before pitting. On the contrary, Webber seemed to be struggling.

“Pilbim, have you forgotten that tires need to be warmed up?”

Almost simultaneously, Vettel's race engineer, LaQuellin, expressed his objection.

Vettel is indeed two to three seconds ahead, but the problem is that Chen Xiangbei can now make up for a second in a single lap. In addition, cold tires need enough time to warm up after exiting the pits, which is equivalent to deducting another lap of the race distance.

Who can guarantee that the Chinese kid won't get even faster during this period?

One lap provides a safety margin, but two laps introduce unknown risks.

Vettel has the game in the bag, so why take unnecessary risks?

“Including the warm-up lap, Webber’s situation is more dangerous. Shouldn’t he be allowed to pit first?”

"Moreover, if Webber is ahead of North, he can also act as a barrier for Vettel."

As Webber's race engineer, Pilbim naturally had to advocate for the drivers' interests.

Veterans are essentially past their prime, and if they can't outrun rookies, it becomes very difficult to sign them or even stay in the paddock.

It's worth noting that in the previous 10 seasons, Vettel secured three pole positions in the first four races, but he had very bad luck. In two of those races, he suffered spark plug and tire failures and fell off the podium repeatedly, finally winning the championship on his third shot.

Webber couldn't accept being outplayed by his teammates; he had to prove himself.

"Hmph, if Webber had pitted first, he might not have blocked driver North, and might have overtaken Vettel first."

LaQuellin coldly replied, "Who doesn't know that teammates are the biggest opponents? Would Webber willingly be a wingman to block the way?"

Dream on!
Just as the two were about to escalate their verbal sparring, the team's sporting director, Marko, stepped in and delivered the final blow.

"Vettel pits first; we must prioritize the team's performance!"

Marco is Red Bull's sporting director, and in terms of position, he is actually subordinate to team manager Horner.

However, this old man has a very good personal friendship with Red Bull owner Marshtz, and in fact plays the role of "supervisor" in the Red Bull team, guiding and even making decisions on the operation of the entire team.

Horner's decision to follow Marko's meant there was no room for negotiation, and chief race engineer Monaan gave Vettel the pit stop instruction via team radio.

Since the drivers couldn't communicate via radio, Webber saw Vettel's car enter the pit lane from the entrance on the track and immediately understood that Vettel had received instructions from the team to pit first.

He immediately questioned this, saying, "Why did Vettel pit first? My tires were already giving out!"

Webber immediately questioned the team's instructions.

After all, he is a veteran in the paddock with many years of experience and achievements, so he naturally wouldn't blindly follow orders like a rookie.

"There's no reason why, it's a decision made by the team's strategy group."

Monaan couldn't offer much explanation, only emphasizing once again that this was an instruction from the strategy group.

Hearing this, and sensing the toughness in the chief race engineer's tone, Webber's record was not as impressive as Schumacher's or Alonso's, and he didn't have the confidence of a world champion.

No matter how resentful they were, they could only watch helplessly as Vettel entered the pit.

“Red Bull’s Vettel was the first to pit. Judging from the actions, the team should prioritize protecting the driver with the better performance. Red Bull is unwilling to take any unknown risks.”

"But now Webber is 25.3 seconds behind North, and if he pits on the next lap, that time will be 24.3 seconds or even less."

"Will the Red Bull team make a clean pit stop for tire changes? Will Webber be able to hold onto his position? All the suspense will be revealed on the next lap!"

Reid described the situation on the track, while the audience kept their eyes glued to the Red Bull car. Vettel's pit stop for a tire change went smoothly, taking 2.64 seconds, which was within a reasonable range.

After one lap, Webber drove the car into the pit lane, and the overall time displayed on the broadcast screen began to jump rapidly.

The length of this time will determine whether Webber's car leaves the pits before or after Chen Xiangbei!

"Go Red Bull technicians! You're the team with the most potential!"

"If the HRT fleet can do it, there's no reason you can't. Take down the Chinese!"

"Webber, you have to win this game to make up for the loss at home in Australia."

"Red Bull, show us the strength of your championship-contending team!"

The South Korean audience and some European and American fans cheered for the Red Bull team.

As the most dazzling new team in the paddock in the past decade, and a potential champion, Red Bull has a reputation and achievements that do not match its seniority, and has a large number of fans all over the world.

Of course, South Korean audiences are more like enemies of enemies, that is, they have a friend-friend mentality.

As the jack was lowered, the number 3.18 seconds for changing the tire was displayed.

This isn't a particularly fast speed, but considering Vettel had already pitted once, and the team mechanics had to prepare the tires and do it again in a short time, the time was barely acceptable.

Just as Webber was driving in the inner pit lane, a black and orange HRT race car was speeding along the outer main track, and the two cars were about to meet at the pit lane exit.

"Faster, Chen Xiangbei!"

"Weber, don't give the Chinese kid a chance."

"undercut! undercut! undercut!"

Supporters on both sides became agitated, and members of both teams instinctively clenched their fists.

At the exit of the maintenance passage, the moment the barrier disappeared, Chen Xiangbei and Weber both turned their heads to look at each other.

The black and orange HRT race car, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, roared past the Red Bull race car.

Webber no longer needed to worry about surviving the cold tire defense. Chen Xiangbei completed his exit undercut by a mere 0.01 seconds, and the two swapped ranking positions.

Chen Xiangbei came in second overall!

(End of this chapter)