Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 321 Clash of Driving Styles

HRT team adopted a conservative strategy for many races. Since they couldn't get a top position in qualifying, they could only rely on tire maintenance and tactics to make a comeback, which led to a kind of mindset among all team members.

When Oddo said those words, everyone in the P room subconsciously looked at him, and then they all had an expression of sudden realization.

This is the Monaco Grand Prix, a game for the truly brave!

To outsiders who don't understand the sport, the Monaco street races with their train-like formations seem boring.

Indeed, this has been the case, and the Monaco Grand Prix has faced increasing criticism in later generations.

However, the thrill of speeding along the Monaco streets at two or three hundred kilometers per hour, hugging the guardrails and experiencing the thrill of flying over land the entire time, is a visual impact that other tracks cannot provide.

In the manga Initial D, there's a scene that describes Takumi Fujiwara's driving skills: he can drift to within 5 centimeters of a guardrail.

But that standard is too conservative when applied to the Monaco street circuit.

Monaco's top standard is two 1s.

1 centimeter plus 1 millisecond!

The 1-centimeter standard is easy to understand; it means squeezing out every inch of space on the track by getting extremely close to the retaining wall.

One millisecond is the driver's reaction time.

At the speed of an F1 car, even a 0.1-second difference can cover several meters. Only with a grip of 0.01 seconds can a driver achieve centimeter-level precision in their racing line.

Of course, this reaction time has exceeded the limits of human nerves. To reach the standard, drivers rely more on anticipation and muscle memory developed through years of driving race cars.

It is precisely because the difficulty is so extreme that whoever wins Monaco will have their strength recognized by the world. This is practically an unspoken rule in F1.

For example, Perez's performance at the end of his Red Bull career was terrible, but a year after leaving the paddock, the new team Cadillac still treated him as their first signed driver.

His priority is even higher than Bottas, who has a better historical record.

Besides Perez's Monaco title, another reason is that five of his six career titles were won in street circuits, making them incredibly prestigious.

Just as F1 paddock potential is judged by absolute speed, true strength lies in street racing handling. Perez's title of "King of the Streets" has given him so many advantages that it's practically a "retirement insurance" for him.

Otherwise, based on his performance at the end of his Red Bull run, his chances of "re-employment" in the F1 paddock would not be much better than Ricciardo's, who has won seven championships. He would most likely retire for life with no possibility of returning.

"Understood, do it as quickly as possible."

Chen Xiangbei shrugged and echoed, not expecting that old man Odeto would come up with a bit of dark humor for him.

However, when he put on his helmet and sat in the cockpit of the race car, Hiroki Sawano still came over with a tactical board and gave him detailed instructions: "Mr. Mukai, the tuning direction of the Monaco Grand Prix conflicts with the original design direction of our race car. You need to pay special attention to this race. It may not be as easy to drive as you think."

The Monaco circuit emphasizes extreme mechanical grip, but HRT racing cars' two core technologies, whether it's the exhaust diffuser or the stall wing, are essentially optimizations of aerodynamic components.

Mechanical grip relies more on the mechanical properties of the racing car chassis!

To put it simply, it's like how many ordinary performance cars and even civilian cars like to install a spoiler at the rear.

You might say it's useless, but when the speed reaches around 200 kilometers per hour, it can indeed provide some downforce.

You might think it's useful, but in reality, most vehicles don't travel at speeds of more than 200 kilometers per hour!
The same applies to F1 aerodynamic kits; they only work effectively at higher speeds to guide airflow. Monaco is a typical winding, narrow, and low-speed track, so aerodynamic kits offer very little improvement.

To take corners at high speeds, you rely entirely on the mechanical grip of the vehicle's chassis and the excellent handling response provided by the power unit.

The Toyota racing chassis is only passable, but the power unit system, having undergone multiple generations of optimization, offers a fairly good overall handling response.

However, chassis tuning is a project that requires years of tuning experience, and Toyota cannot compare with many big teams that have been working in the paddock for many years. The HRT team is at a disadvantage if they simply rely on the hard power of the entire car.

Most sections of Monaco's track lack buffer zones, so losing control is tantamount to crashing into a wall. Racing cars require unparalleled confidence in handling for drivers to dare to take the plunge.

It's clear that the HRT team doesn't have that kind of confidence.

This is why Odeto unusually refrained from describing the tuning scheme, only vaguely mentioning "whatever is fastest."

He was undoubtedly telling Chen Xiangbei that there was no standard answer for the racing team on this track; how fast you could go depended entirely on yourself!
"clear."

Chen Xiangbei nodded to Hiroki Sawano. He had never underestimated the Monaco circuit and had a very clear understanding of its difficulty.

"Remember to provide timely feedback."

Hiroki Sawano added that confidence in a vehicle comes from the driver's ability to control it with complete ease. Only then can the driver confidently and boldly approach the barrier and make aggressive steering maneuvers that push the limits of track space.

Any understeer or oversteer is bad news at the Monaco circuit, and the team and Chen Xiangbei need to achieve absolute balance!

"I will."

After saying this, Chen Xiangbei lowered his helmet and visor, stepped on the gas, and drove car number 13 out of the garage and onto the Monte Carlo main circuit in Monaco.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei is no stranger to street racing. Whether it was running the Guia Circuit back in F3 or experiencing circuits like Singapore and Baku in F1, he can no longer be considered a complete newbie.

But Monte Carlo is different in one way: its streets are so pure that only Guia Island in Australia can compare to it.

Because other street types have undergone modern modifications to varying degrees, they have left a certain amount of buffer space. Like Singapore's Marina Bay Circuit, many corners are as wide as those on traditional professional circuits, making overtaking much easier.

Monte Carlo has such a long history that many of the buildings on both sides can be considered "historical sites" that there is simply no room for demolition or expansion. The same is true for the Guia Circuit in Macau.

However, the Guia Grand Prix only races in Formula 3, and its speed and size are significantly inferior to those of Formula 1 cars. It's like a Wuling Hongguang Mimi, a regular civilian car, trying to compete with a Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the streets and alleys.

The Wuling Hongguang MINI can easily maneuver and park in any nook or cranny, while a Mercedes-Benz S-Class might not even be able to turn a corner in an alley.

In addition, during the Guia race, Chen Xiangbei was just an unknown player. He was able to familiarize himself with the track during the road closures and even run two laps without any problem.

Monte Carlo, Monaco, is a world-class tourist port. Chen Xiangbei is now considered one of the most famous athletes in China and even Asia. There is no scene of driving around the track twice before the race. Even the traditional "track walk" session has been canceled.

This means that everything about the Monte Carlo circuit is essentially starting from scratch for Chen Xiangbei!
Listening to the roar of engines around him, Chen Xiangbei cleared his mind of all distractions and focused on memorizing the features of every corner of the Monte Carlo circuit, every key landmark, and even the location of every manhole cover on the track.

Inside the HRT vehicle's pit garage, Mizutani Sho was also intently watching the circular screen, which displayed the footage transmitted back from Chen Xiangbei's vehicle-mounted camera.

He was recording Chen Xiangbei's control data on the tactical board, including but not limited to gear, throttle, brake and steering angle. Mizutani Sho was very aware of his driver's unfamiliarity with the Monaco circuit.

If you lack proficiency, you have to make up for it with data!

Chen Xiangbei's driving speed in the video is not very fast. Compared to his early, high-speed driving style, it can only be described as "tortoise-like".

However, since the team's strategy shifted entirely to a more conservative approach, Chen Xiangbei and Perez have primarily focused on long-distance testing in practice sessions, no longer pursuing the extreme pushes seen in qualifying. The fans and enthusiasts at the practice sessions were also generally aware of HRT's practice routine; Chen Xiangbei would typically only attempt to push to his speed limit during the second or third practice session.

As time went by, Chen Xiangbei's first complete lap time soon appeared on the monitor screen.

Odeto casually asked, "What was Mizutani's lap time in the technical test?"

"1 minutes, 19 seconds, 042."

How much is Perez?

"1 minutes, 16 seconds, 701."

"How many?"

Hearing Mizutani Sho's answer, Odeto asked another question, somewhat doubting his own ears.

Is Chen Xiangbei's technical test lap time 3 seconds slower than Perez's?
"The north lap was very slow, it seems there is a big difference between racing simulators and real tracks."

"In addition, Perez has raced on the Monaco circuit in both Formula A1 and GP2, so he is much more familiar with it, which is reflected in his simulator results."

Mizutani Sho knew what Odeto was surprised about, so he simply gave an explanation.

Although Formula A1 and GP2 racing are quite different from F1, it is still fundamentally different from never having raced them.

Perez has a significant advantage, so it's normal that Chen Xiangbei's technical testing circle is slow.

"too slow."

Odeto shook his head. He could accept that Chen Xiangbei was a bit slow, but he couldn't accept that he was this slow.

However, Odette's dissatisfaction was limited to this. This situation had occurred before, with the Chinese players often putting on an incredible performance in the end. Perhaps this is what is known as "slow starter".

The results of the second and third laps followed one after another. Chen Xiangbei improved his lap time and quickly broke into 1 minute and 17 seconds. However, when he tried to increase his speed on the fourth lap, he made a clear mistake in the cornering line and almost crashed into the edge of the guardrail.

Finally, Odeto couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "North, what exactly is going on?"

"I'm not used to the car setup, and the Monaco circuit feels very different from the simulator."

Monaco's standard tuning scheme often uses an initial setting with extremely high downforce, and the suspension uses extremely soft springs to resist pitch and roll.

On the one hand, the Monaco circuit is not smooth, which is a common problem in street racing, and soft suspension can better absorb bumps.

On the other hand, soft suspension can maximize the contact between the tires and the ground, thereby enhancing mechanical grip.

Just like when civilian vehicles go off-road, they often release some air from the tires to reduce tire pressure and increase the contact area to gain traction.

The problem is that such extreme high downforce and soft suspension settings can cause the car to understeer, also known as push-back.

Chen Xiangbei is used to driving vehicles with oversteering, and suddenly being faced with this tuning scheme that leans towards the other extreme, coupled with his unfamiliarity with the track's corners, caused him to lack confidence and struggle to drive.

"OK, proceed with the calibration."

After listening, Odette calmly issued the order to enter the station.

For racing teams, the problem isn't the drivers' feedback, but the inability to find the cause.

Practice matches are a process of constantly adjusting settings; if Chen Xiangbei can't adapt, then changes will be made.

Soon, Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car entered the pit lane, and Liang Chi and a group of team technicians surrounded it, making adjustments based on the track feedback.

"I've slightly reduced the downforce at the rear; I'm used to the slippage caused by the stall wing."

"By shifting the car's balance towards the rear, the front of the car becomes more agile, allowing for faster cornering speeds."

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's second response, Hiroki Sawano immediately offered a reminder.

"Mr. Xiangbei, overturning between narrow walls would have disastrous consequences. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Every team's setup at the Monaco circuit is slightly biased towards understeer.

The reason is simple: understeer usually only results in a loss of cornering time, while oversteer is extremely likely to cause a fatal crash!

"I am sure."

"OK, we'll do it your way."

Hiroki Sawano did not persist; whether his decision was correct or not will be verified by the racetrack.

"The gearbox shortens the second and third gear formation and optimizes acceleration when exiting a corner."

"The increased steering ratio improves cornering sensitivity."

"Increase the tire camber angle to increase mechanical grip."

Chen Xiangbei explained the tuning and modifications one by one. His nearly one year of professional experience and study of racing engineering had given him a very sophisticated ability to tune cars.

Faced with so many changes, the team's technicians completed the modifications to the car's setup in just a few minutes.

Watching Chen Xiangbei accelerate out of the pit lane, Hiroki Sawano finally showed a worried expression and said to Odette, "Bei's tuning plan is adapted to himself, not to the Monaco circuit. I don't know if that's correct."

Adapting to oneself and adapting to the track are, to some extent, contradictory.

However, in most cases, teams and drivers will try to find a balance. The Monaco circuit and Chen Xiangbei's driving style are the only exceptions, almost completely opposite.

Chen Xiangbei essentially overturned the conventional initial tuning plan for adapting to the track and completely changed to his own familiar driving style.

Those drivers who once "disregarded" the Monaco circuit often paid the price for their arrogance. Can Chen Xiangbei be the exception?

To be honest, Hiroki Sawano didn't have much confidence.

"Trust in the North."

Odeto casually uttered those three words.

The Chinese kid has never let himself down, not before, and Odeto believes he never will!
(End of this chapter)