Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 334 The problem is that we can't lose.

"Bei, first of all, congratulations on taking pole position. Are you confident of winning the championship again in today's main race?"

An Al Jazeera reporter handed the microphone to Chen Xiangbei. His questions were relatively normal and not aggressive.

"Of course, the championship belongs to me."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xiangbei gave an affirmative answer.

“You are very confident, but your rivals are well prepared and they will not let you win easily.”

"Then bring it on and see if you have the strength to stop me."

"Are you saying that Alonso, Vettel, Rosberg, and others lack ability?"

Another BBC reporter immediately added, "It's just typical of the British tradition of being a troublemaker."

Chen Xiangbei's original intention was to compete in the Monaco Grand Prix, but the BBC reporter's question led to the ambiguous implication that other drivers lacked ability.

Under normal circumstances, it would be neither good for Chen Xiangbei to answer yes nor good to answer no.

But he still said, "At least today, the situation in the main competition is not that I am blocking others, but that others are blocking me from winning."

Chen Xiangbei did not give a YES or NO answer, but his words were full of confidence and arrogance, indicating that he was the one in the position of the challenger.

Only the strong are challenged; the weak are only allowed to challenge others!
To be honest, when he said that, the paddock was immediately in an uproar. In the past, the Chinese lads were only arrogant towards a group of younger players, such as Rosberg, Hamilton, or Vettel.

Has he now set his sights on Alonso, the strongest player in the paddock?
"You look down on Alonso just because you got pole position? Don't you even know if you deserve it!"

"Don't forget you're currently ranked fifth in the standings. Do you really think you're the world champion?"

"Alonso, teach this young man a lesson later, and show him what true dominance is!"

The shouts and jeers were deafening, so much so that the audience's discontent could be heard even in the Ferrari team's pit lane.

Alonso stood right in front of the broadcast camera, listening to Chen Xiangbei's "bold words" with a playful smile on his face.

"This Chinese kid has the same outspokenness you had when you were young."

When his race engineer, Stella, heard this, he made a sarcastic remark.

Thirty years old Alonso is not considered young in today's F1 paddock, but he was also a prodigy when he debuted, and when he won the championship at the age of twenty-four, he also set the record for the youngest world champion in F1.

However, with the maturation of Formula racing and the establishment of youth training programs or racing academies by various teams, the age of F1 drivers has continued to decrease, leading to the emergence of world-class drivers who were still minors in later generations.

That makes winning the championship at the age of 24 seem less dazzling and exaggerated.

"He's still not quite as good as I was back then."

Alonso replied casually.

At that time, he was challenging the then-dominant Ferrari, and even dared to boast to Schumacher, "Give me a car that is half a second slower and I can win the championship!"
In comparison, the Chinese guy was more low-key and conservative.

"Time will wear down the sharp edges of youthful vigor, whether it's Bei or you."

Sterling shrugged. The Chinese kid was just as arrogant and conceited when he first entered the paddock.

Just as the two were having a spectator-like conversation, Hank, a Sky Sports reporter who hadn't been seen in a long time, suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“North, you put Alonso in the position of challenger, but don’t forget that he has won the Monaco title twice. Relatively speaking, you are more like the challenger.”

Upon seeing Hank appear, Chen Xiangbei's expression instantly became meaningful.

This is another old British troublemaker, always stirring up trouble at crucial moments.

"You said it yourself, it was in the past."

"So you mean you're stronger than Alonso now?"

"Not just now, but also in the future."

Since there's no way to avoid it, then go all out and don't hesitate—that's Chen Xiangbei's belief.

Furthermore, during his two-plus years in the professional career, Chen Xiangbei also learned a lesson: there is nothing wrong with being arrogant and provocative.

The problem is that we can't afford to lose.

The cheers from the crowd today are the best proof. With pole position and championship, there will be great scholars to debate with me!

Alonso had been watching Chen Xiangbei's "performance" with great interest, but when he heard the other party publicly name him, his expression instantly turned ugly.

Alonso was never a magnanimous driver in his early career. In order to win and obtain team resources, he resorted to many dirty paddock politics, but in most cases, he reaped the consequences.

To put it in a modern parlance, Alonso loved playing the game of paddock politics, but he was utterly inept at it and couldn't outmaneuver anyone else.

Unfortunately, he's terrible at the game but loves to play!
But everyone has two sides. Alonso has never been a bad person. He is often friendly and enthusiastic towards newcomers and is generous in sharing his track experience and skills.

Of course, this is on the premise that you cannot threaten him.

In other words, the vast majority of drivers in the paddock are like this; there are probably no truly selfless ones.

Even if Chen Xiangbei is willing to help Perez a couple of times, it's mostly based on his memories from the future and his absolute confidence.

Mexican rookies can't outrun themselves!

Just like Verstappen, he would only refuse to switch positions to help Perez gain points when Perez bared his fangs and showed his threat.

When Perez left the team and needed to find a new club, Verstappen praised his former teammate. The reason for this was that since they no longer had a competitive relationship or conflict of interest, they could still be friends.

"Haha, it seems that the new Chinese talents are no worse than you were back then."

Stella, who was standing nearby, noticed Alonso's change in expression and couldn't help but make a teasing remark.

The rookie season is almost over, and the Chinese kid hasn't changed. His sharpness and edges have just been covered up, but not smoothed out!
"NB, Chen Xiangbei, when it comes to the championship, you should defeat all your opponents!"

"No problem, the future is definitely yours!"

"Go for it, Chen Xiangbei, I want to have your babies."

Chen Xiangbei originally felt that he was full of momentum and ruthlessly declared war on Alonso.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice suddenly appeared, almost causing him to lose his composure and break down.

What's even more outrageous is that it was a woman's voice.

Unbeknownst to many, the group of female fans who used to be devoted solely to Kimi Räikkönen in the paddock have gradually switched their allegiance to Chen Xiangbei, suggesting that Edison Chen's image still holds some appeal.

Of course, the most important thing is skill, which is the amplifier of a driver's charm.

However, many things go to extremes and backfire. Chen Xiangbei's high-profile behavior with fans naturally provoked dissatisfaction from Alonso's supporters. After all, the Spaniard is currently the strongest active driver in the paddock, with two world championship titles and countless fans. Chen Xiangbei, on the other hand, hasn't even won a world championship yet. What makes him dare to act so arrogantly?

It's worth noting that the infighting between Hamilton and Alonso back then almost resulted in Hamilton's entire family being verbally abused, and he was subjected to a barrage of public criticism almost every day, with various racist jokes emerging one after another.

Sometimes you have to admit that Hamilton's focus isn't as good as Schumacher's, his effort isn't as good as Verstappen's, and his relentless drive isn't as good as Senna's.

But when it comes to resilience, Hamilton is the strongest driver in the paddock, bar none!

Throughout the history of Formula 1, a Black child from an ordinary family who wants to stand out in this sport for white elites is destined to face countless cold stares and ridicule.

In his debut season in F1, he got into a fierce battle of paddock politics with the then-dominant Alonso, which also led to the infamous "spy scandal".

Even more outrageous, rookie Hamilton actually won...

Although McLaren boss Ron Dennis was Hamilton's mentor and godfather, his eccentric personality often resembled that of Verstappen's father, a combination of obsessive-compulsive tendencies and pressure-driven quirks.

It's fair to say that if Hamilton had been even slightly more psychologically fragile, he might have already broken down and left the F1 paddock.

In comparison, Vettel was like a pampered child at Red Bull.

Their different circumstances led to different outcomes.

After experiencing a slump at McLaren, Hamilton moved to Mercedes and started a dynasty.

After Vettel transferred to Ferrari, he never recovered and never recovered.

Having experienced everything, Chen Xiangbei believes his resilience is no less than Hamilton's. The outside world's angry shouts and noise are no different from the buzzing of mosquitoes to him, and he can still calmly accept interviews.

On the contrary, the angrier Alonso's fans are, the more he feels that this is an affirmation of himself.

Only when Alonso is truly threatened will the opponent be so anxious to break through his defenses!

After a brief pre-match interview, the traditional float parade began.

Now that the season is almost over, the drivers have become much more familiar with each other and can often exchange a few simple jokes.

Even Chen Xiangbei, who used to be secretly ostracized, can now exchange a few words with him.

After completing a lap of the circuit, Chen Xiangbei returned to the pit stop. The crew had finished the final checks and warm-ups of the car and were just waiting for the race to begin.

Odette then came over and, taking advantage of the last moments before the race, emphasized the team's strategy and tactics to Chen Xiangbei.

"North, remember the one-stop tactic. The pit stop window is from lap 25 onwards. The start is extremely important. You must hold your position, understand?"

"clear."

Chen Xiangbei nodded; Monaco's T1 turn was the final battle being played out in advance.

"In addition, there may be team blocking from opposing teams in the middle of the race, at which time you and Perez will need to work together. Remember to follow the team's instructions."

"Should we make Perez our wingman?"

Chen Xiangbei countered with a question: "The most important thing on this track is to control the car."

If the pressure is applied slowly enough, a 20-second entry window can be "pressed" out directly.

Of course, this would require a driver to make a sacrifice.

Without a doubt, it's impossible to sacrifice pole position, so it can only be Perez.

"Ah."

"clear."

Chen Xiangbei didn't say a word more. The closer they got to the championship, the more he understood the strength of Ferrari's strategy team and the ruthless methods of the racing legend Schumacher.

For a player like Raikkonen to become a champion, in addition to skill, luck is also needed.

Evil people don't need luck.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Ferrari team was also discussing tactics and teamwork.

Their communication was less deliberate than that of the HRT team; they directly and clearly told Massa that he needed to cooperate with Alonso to win the championship.

Massa's situation is irrelevant; his personality is inherently "weak," and Ferrari's driver contracts explicitly include a wingman agreement, so refusing it would be a breach of contract.

For the Ferrari team, this is a tradition: the number two driver has to do the job once he gets paid!

However, the fact that the tactical focus is now on Chen Xiangbei has left Ferrari's strategy team and both drivers feeling somewhat uneasy.

A rookie Chinese driver, fresh out of the gate, unexpectedly became Ferrari's most threatening enemy at the end of his rookie season, requiring the deployment of Alonso and Massa, the two strongest driver duo, to coordinate a counterattack.

It's simply unbelievable, like something out of a fairy tale.

But that's exactly what happened; all I can say is that times have changed!
The same conversation also took place in the pit lane between Red Bull and Mercedes, especially since Ross Brawn has become tougher now, no longer caring about his past appreciation and recognition of Chen Xiangbei, and demanding that Schumacher fully cooperate to win the home championship at this race.

The current Mercedes-Benz Arena is not the grand spectacle of later dynasties; it is merely a newly arrived team just entering the paddock.

The parent company, Daimler Group, may be exceptionally powerful, but the problem is that a parent company is a parent company, and a racing team is a racing team; the two cannot often be equated.

To secure full financial and technical support from the parent company, you need to demonstrate results.

Otherwise, they will end up like BMW did in the past, feeling hopeless about winning and slinking out of the competition. Is the BMW Group some kind of insignificant player?
Not to mention the two Japanese giants, Honda and Toyota, which one is really too poor to afford Formula One?

There are no friends in front of the champion; that's the reality in the paddock.

At 2:55 p.m., Chen Xiangbei drove the HRT race car from the pit lane to the starting grid on the track.

When the black and orange No. 13 race car appeared in the audience's sight, cheers erupted. Chen Xiangbei's fans were very excited; the feeling of stopping at the first pole position was exhilarating.

The narrowness of the Monaco circuit, in particular, allows drivers to feel the cheers and applause of the audience even amidst the roar of the engines.

Chen Xiangbei raised his right hand high and then raised his index finger, which was a response to the fans and a promise to himself.

He wants to become number one and win the title of King of Monaco, an unprecedented title for an Asian driver!
"The exciting race is about to begin. Today, the Monaco circuit is more special than ever before. Perhaps what is happening on the track now is a scene that has never been seen in the sixty-year history of F1."

"A driver from China stopped at pole position on this legendary and glorious track."

"I heard the cheers for Bei and saw him raise his right hand in response. The fact that an Asian driver can receive recognition and respect from the Monaco circuit audience shows just how outstanding Bei's record-breaking performance was in qualifying."

"If possible, I hope the audience here will not hold back their cheers and applause, and let us once again congratulate this F1 driver who has made history."

"He is Bei, a driver from China!"

(End of this chapter)