F1: Starting with a Simulator Master

Chapter 111 All-Chinese Team Plan

A truly top-notch professional driver should maintain sufficient rationality under any circumstances.

"Do you want to represent a Chinese team in Formula 1?"

However, when Xu Fu actually uttered those words that were enough to drive all Chinese racing fans crazy, Luo Xiu, who was undoubtedly a top driver, found his composure somewhat unsettled.

He didn't look at Xu Zihao's shocked and even somewhat comical face, but instead turned his gaze to Xu Fu.

"Shall we talk here?"

Luo Xiu only asked this one question, without any further words.

Xu Fu didn't even reply, but a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. He opened the car door, got out, and waved, indicating that he should follow him.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the top-secret conference room on the top floor of the R&D center building.

This is not the Xu Group's regular office area.

The security measures on the entire floor were extremely thorough, and the corridors were completely empty; not a single footstep of civilian staff could be heard.

The person leading the way was replaced by the vice president of the Xu Group, who was in charge of cutting-edge engineering research and development.

There were very few attendees; besides Xu Fu and his son, there was only the vice president.

Upon entering the conference room, the vice president stepped to the front, and the huge projection screen lit up.

It wasn't the kind of telemetry charts filled with various curves that Luo Xiu was familiar with, but rather a dense array of FIA data.

(FIA) Technical Regulations Document.

"Two years from now, F1 will see the biggest rule overhaul in its history."

The vice president cut to the chase without beating around the bush: "The weight of internal combustion engines will be reduced, while electric motor power will surge to 50%, and 100% sustainable fuels must be used —"

Long stretches of technical details were projected onto the screen, and the overview of the technology alone lasted for half an hour.

"—Liberty Media, the current controlling shareholder of F1, is eager to expand its business empire and tap into the vast and lucrative Chinese market—"

————This is currently the window of opportunity with the least political resistance————

—We also need to lobby the existing teams to agree before—

After the vice president finished his introduction, Xu Fu nodded and took over the conversation.

"Today, China has achieved significant cost and technological advantages in the fields of electric drive, battery, and electronic control systems. It is no exaggeration to say that we have pricing power in the new energy passenger vehicle market priced below 200,000 yuan. Even in the high-end market, we are technologically competitive. But—"

Xu Fu's words were domineering, but then he changed the subject.

"High-end products cannot be judged solely by technology —"

After a long silence, Xu Fu added only one more sentence.

"And F1 is the pinnacle of the global automotive industry."

"That's right!"

The vice president then picked up where Xu Fu left off.

The PPT slides have removed all the detailed rules and regulations, leaving only two extremely minimalist car company logos on the screen.

Honda is on the left, and Toyota is on the right.

"If we want to move upmarket, we must win by defying the European rules at the very top of the pyramid."

Instead of reading from a lengthy PowerPoint presentation, the vice president calmly stated the harsh reality.

"Honda has been experimenting and learning from mistakes in Formula 1 since it started making cars in the 1960s. From the McLaren Honda era to the Red Bull Honda era today."

They've poured half a century of manpower and money into this, and now they have global pricing power.

As long as their engines continue to dominate F1, their myth in the civilian car market will never crumble.

He then pointed to the Toyota on his right, his eyes turning extremely cold.

"As for Toyota, they not only poured money into it, but also insisted on developing all the engines and chassis themselves. They even tried to force the standardized manufacturing process of the world's number one mass-producer into the F1 track. They thought that with an annual budget of several hundred million dollars, they could change the rules of the game that European old money had accumulated for half a century."

"We all saw the outcome. Until their disastrous exit, their best result in history was only fourth place among the teams."

The top-secret conference room was extremely quiet, with only the sound of slides changing.

"Building civilian cars is not the same as building Formula 1 cars that can fly close to the ground. We still have a long way to go —"

The vice president pressed the remote control in his hand.

On the screen, two personnel files appeared side by side.

On the left is a photo of Zhou Guanyu, China's first F1 racer with extensive experience in the paddock, dressed in his racing suit.

On the right is a black silhouette.

Xu Fu, seated in the main seat, finally spoke again, "We want to form an all-Chinese driver lineup."

He looked at Luo Xiu again, "This all-Chinese team plan was originally still in the top-secret preparation stage. According to the group's schedule, it was originally planned to be fully revealed to you at least a year later, after you have established yourself in F2 next season."

Luo Xiu listened quietly.

"But your performance in the F3 series during this period has been truly outstanding."

1

Xu Fu smiled, his face showing emotion.

"Several large convoys have come knocking on our door in the last two days—this has definitely disrupted our schedule."

Xu Fu looked at Luo Xiu, his gaze sharpening once more. "If we don't tell you about our plan now, you might be locked into a contract for the next few years."

And the other seat—”

Xu Fu raised his hand, pointed to the black silhouette, and fixed his gaze on Luo Xiu across the long table.

We need you.

Chinese teams, Chinese drivers, an all-Chinese lineup—a motorsport fantasy from the East.

"One point must be made clear."

The vice president chimed in at the opportune moment, his tone becoming serious. "Everyone has seen Toyota's example. Entering F1 is extremely expensive. This Chinese team is still in the very early stages of preparation, and even after investing huge sums, there's still a risk that it might ultimately fail. But—"

The vice president glanced around the long table. "But we've spent our whole lives working in automotive engineering."

The executive, who was over fifty years old, spoke with a stubbornness that refused to admit defeat.

"I just want to see, while I'm still able to run, our race cars pull ahead of those European powerhouses and compete with them—"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, "Not only do we compete, we win!"

At this point, Luo Xiu felt a surge of excitement for no apparent reason.

In fact, he had already made his decision the moment he learned that he could represent the Chinese team in F1.

Whether it's Ferrari or Red Bull, he simply doesn't care about paddock politics, not that he's ignorant of it.

The best resources are not necessarily reserved for the best drivers.

His intuition told him that if he missed this day, he might never have an F1 team that was entirely his own and that he would spend all his money on, solely for his driving habits.

This team is even known as an all-Chinese team!

If there isn't one, fine, but if such an opportunity comes along, Luo Xiu is willing to give his last bit of speed and strength to fight for it.

His gaze lingered on the black silhouette on the screen for a long time.

Deep within those usually calm and indifferent pupils, a flame of human ambition finally ignited.

Sitting next to Luo Xiu, Xu Zihao knew him all too well, and right now, he was also feeling a surge of anger. As soon as he saw Luo Xiu's eyes, he knew exactly what he was thinking.

He picked up the pen on the table with great enthusiasm, pushed it in front of Luo Xiu, and expressed his support directly.

Seeing Luo Xiu accept the pen without hesitation, Xu Fu, sitting in the main seat, finally felt relieved.

He leaned back in his chair and reached for his teacup to moisten his throat.

As a seasoned veteran who had spent most of his life navigating the treacherous waters of the business world, Xu Fu was well aware of the ruthlessness of the racing industry.

Once Luo Xiu actually drives the Mars rover with its terrifying downforce and perfect mechanical grip, and personally experiences the insurmountable performance gap of F1 racing cars, it will be countless times more difficult to persuade him to join by appealing to his patriotism and drive a domestically produced racing car that may have no competitiveness in the early stages.

Taking advantage of the fact that this young man has not yet experienced real F1 racing, he preemptively played the emotional card to lock in Luo Xiu, a risky move he made after careful consideration.

With Luo Xiu's approval, the focus of the meeting quickly shifted.

The people present changed. Xu Fu made a phone call and summoned the legal team and several senior executives. The projection screen was cut into four pieces, which were densely covered with scanned copies of letters of intent from Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Haas.

These seasoned veterans, who have been immersed in the world of fame and fortune and the rules of business for many years, now have only one core issue: how to pool their collective wisdom to design a perfect growth path for Luo Xiu during the two-year transition period before he officially enters Chinese racing.

Not only must he be guaranteed access to top-of-the-line cars, but he must also be absolutely not tied up by any elite club with a long-term contract.

"The third clause of Ferrari's contract stipulates the buyout of image rights and a three-year non-compete clause." The general counsel drew a big X on the screen with a red pen. "This is tantamount to a contract of servitude, and we absolutely cannot sign it."

"Red Bull's youth training contract is quite lenient," another executive sneered, "but the supplementary agreement requires Roche to prioritize obeying the first team's instructions. If they ask Roche to give way at key stages, we don't even have a say."

The tension in the meeting room grew increasingly palpable. Four letters of intent from F1 powerhouses, which outsiders would have considered unattainable, were being scrutinized and criticized point by point as if they were garbage.

"Preset penalty for breach of contract", "Exit clause trigger mechanism", "Earnings agreement", "Sponsorship amount" —

Various business terms were rapidly listed in everyone's minds during the brainstorming session, frantically deconstructing the loopholes in the contracts sent by the four major companies.

Xu Zihao also joined the discussion, while Luo Xiu leaned back in his chair, bored, watching the group of business tycoons gesturing and talking in front of the whiteboard.

He deeply realized that what a race car represents is far more than just the engine and chassis that were built.

Rather, it is a group of top talents across fields, and the industrial strength and economic power they represent.

The meeting lasted a long time, ending late at night.

After a series of rigorous yet radical proposals, the final solution was settled.

There were no passionate slogans.

In front of Luo Xiu was a top-secret confidentiality agreement, in triplicate.

The agreement was long, but he flipped straight to the last page.

The pen tip moves across the paper with a free and smooth motion.

Sign your name and close the pen.

Clean and efficient.

The two agreements were pushed back to the center of the table, and everything was settled.

At that moment, Luo Xiu posed the first and only question he had proactively raised since entering the conference room.

"What's the name of this racing team?"

Xu Zihao smiled helplessly, and the vice president also turned his gaze to the head of the Xu Empire, who was sitting in the main seat and had remained silent.

Only he is qualified to answer this question.

Xu Fu placed his hands folded on the table; the high-pressure meeting that had lasted for several hours had not diminished the old man's energy in the slightest.

He looked into Luo Xiu's clear, pure eyes, without any preamble or explanation, his tone calm and steady.

He pronounced the three letters clearly and distinctly.

"Tentative code name: BJM."

Luo Xiu looked puzzled.

Xu Fu paused, each word carrying immense weight.

You can pronounce it as...

"Beyond Jimmy."