"Xiangbei, you can box now."

Odetto instructed Chen Xiangbei to pit, even though Chen Xiangbei had only pushed for two timed laps.

But counting the mistakes, warm-up lap, cool-down lap, and the return lap, he had run seven or eight laps on the track, the tires had passed their peak grip, and the braking system was under significant pressure; there was no need to waste time on the track.

For Chen Xiangbei, the first practice session was pretty much over.

"Odetto, what was my lap time?"

Chen Xiangbei asked. Often, drivers can feel the speed themselves; he knew it wasn’t too slow.

"1 minute 32 seconds 422."

Odetto provided the answer straightforwardly.

"Barely okay."

[This is barely okay?]

Hearing Chen Xiangbei’s response, everyone in the team couldn’t help but think how pretentious this guy was.

No wonder other teams see him as a track enemy. He didn’t seem as exaggerated when he was one of their own, but from an outsider’s perspective, it must be unbearable.

"Liang Chi, is it true that Xiangbei was already very skilled at the East Sea International Circuit back when he was in our country?"

Beside him, Mizutani Sho quietly asked Liang Chi, who was waiting to pit stop.

He met Chen Xiangbei at the Honda Suzuka Academy and didn’t have firsthand experience with his domestic achievements, only able to learn through data.

However, the data showed Chen Xiangbei only had basic formula training at Huasi Sports, with no mention of anything related to the East Sea International Circuit. Such a degree of proficiency went beyond the simulation scope and even challenged logical understanding!

One should know that the most advanced simulators of this era were only three-axis with triple screens, compared to the five-axis and circular screen simulations of the future; they were not comparable at all.

Mizutani Sho was pretty sure that Chen Xiangbei had raced at the East Sea International Circuit before, and not just once!

"I don’t know."

Liang Chi shook his head.

"Don’t know?"

Feeling Mizutani Sho’s confusion, Liang Chi understood the crux of his concerns.

A slight bitter smile appeared on his face as he supplemented, "Xiangbei trained at Huasi Sports in East Sea for about a month. Perhaps he went to the East Sea International Circuit during that time."

"The issue is there’s no F4 class racing in China, how could he race?"

Mizutani Sho, being Japanese, didn’t know that China’s racing formula system lagged far beyond recognition.

The FIA F4 racing league officially started in 2015, and F3 events were nonexistent even by 2025.

How could Chen Xiangbei race F1 at the East Sea International Circuit?

Hearing this answer, Mizutani Sho was stunned.

Indeed, he didn’t react immediately; whether Chen Xiangbei raced or not was no longer a hidden issue.

China simply couldn’t run such races; where did the foundation come from!

As the TF110 racing car entered the pit lane entrance, Chen Xiangbei sensed an unusual atmosphere; all the team staff had practically left their garages with eyes fixed on him.

Some were observing the car, wanting to understand what kind of modifications TF110 underwent to achieve track record-breaking speed.

Of course, most were observing Chen Xiangbei.

The Chinese rookie was too astonishing, achieving pole-position practice speeds, completely overturning the world’s recognition!

Especially in the red Ferrari garage, team leader Domenicali looked somewhat grim.

He asked the technical director Costa, "Is there a reply from Maranello?"

Maranello is the location of Ferrari’s F1 headquarters. When Chen Xiangbei clocked stunning speeds in his first flying lap, Domenicali realized something was amiss and immediately had someone contact the lead designer Tombazis.

Tombazis, once the legendary Ferrari designer Roy Byrne’s assistant, became Ferrari’s lead designer after Byrne retired, contributing to the championship cars during the Scuderia Ferrari dynasty and the title-contending F2007 and F2008 cars.

Thanks to Briatore and Trulli’s Italian identities, the HRT Team’s current technological direction transitioned from previously Toyota Group’s support to Ferrari Team’s assistance.

Especially after participating in engine tuning this time, Ferrari’s technical team even got hold of the core parameters of the HRT Racing Car.

Honestly, Ferrari’s team was shocked; they never expected a Toyota prototype car to have exceptionally superb design skills, seemingly like a replica of last year’s Brawn GP car.

Two Japanese top-tier automotive giants completed their final dance before leaving the F1 Paddock!

Having excellent design is one thing; actual application is another aspect.

Subsequent racing simulator tests showed the HRT Racing Car was indeed fast, its theoretical performance almost reached the contender’s car level.

But still within the acceptance range of Ferrari’s technical team.

However, Chen Xiangbei’s speed was beyond mere championship level, belonging to the real championship car speed.

Domenicali wanted to know if Ferrari’s technical team hadn’t deciphered the core aerodynamic parameters of the HRT Racing Car, or if Chen Xiangbei was genuinely an exceptional super talent?

"There’s no reply yet; time is too tight."

Costa replied.

Tombazis isn’t a god; it’s impossible to figure out the reason in just ten minutes. The team leader was too impatient.

Faced with this response, Domenicali’s grim expression didn’t diminish in the slightest.

His intuition told him Ferrari’s management was shortsighted; perhaps they had created a formidable opponent for themselves!

F1 racing is incredibly costly, especially under the lingering effects of the current era’s financial crisis, combined with the FIA’s terrible management of commercial events, making almost every team struggle to operate.