With a foundation of purple sectors, Chen Xiangbei advancing to Q2 was no surprise, but the appearance of green sectors in the second timing sector left the question of who could set the fastest lap in suspense.

However, the suspense didn't last long, as only a few seconds passed by in the blink of an eye.

As car number 13 crossed the finish line, the timing numbers stopped at 1:32.388, with Chen Xiangbei surpassing McLaren driver Jenson Button to secure the fastest lap in the first qualifying session, also beating his own fastest lap time from practice.

This indicates potential for further improvement in Chen Xiangbei's performance, and nobody knows where his limits lie!

"Beautiful! As expected, Chen Xiangbei is the strongest driver!"

"Go for it, take pole position!"

"Chen Xiangbei is faster than in practice. He truly is unfathomable!"

The Chinese fans at the venue stood up from their seats, recognizing that although it's just the first in Q1, this is an absolute milestone for Chinese racing.

Even in Asian racing, only Sato Takuma had ever reached the top position!

[Schumacher, it seems your track records won't hold.]

Seeing Chen Xiangbei's lap time topping the leaderboard, Ross Brown spoke complexly towards Schumacher.

"The future will ultimately belong to the young."

Schumacher responded with a smile.

But then, his tone shifted as he looked at the distant track, saying, "However, if Xiangbei thinks the future belongs to him, he needs to prove it to me."

In the history of F1, Schumacher was the tallest mountain and the longest river through the 1960s.

Breaking a single track record is nothing; the difficulty lies in breaking countless track records, as well as being a seven-time champion!

Schumacher's results and status had made him view Chen Xiangbei's outstanding performance calmly, as it's just a track record after all.

But when Rosberg saw the same scenario, he found it extremely difficult to accept.

[How can Chen Xiangbei be so fast?]

During practice, he could attribute Chen Xiangbei's performance to car performance excuses.

But in the qualifying session, even the Mercedes Team enabled their over-power mode, and yet Rosberg's Q1 result was still 0.7 seconds slower than Chen Xiangbei, currently ranking eighth among all drivers.

It's important to know that with this year's rank of the Mercedes car, fourth or fifth fastest, finishing eighth is actually a satisfactory, even good result.

The reason is simple, in F1, one spot per performance, if you can't outperform your car's capability, you're not qualified.

As the fifth-fastest car, the reasonable position in qualifying is around ninth or tenth, and Rosberg running eighth should be unproblematic.

However, with merely a good performance, Rosberg is far from satisfied.

Given his background and his record in lower formula racing, along with joining a top-tier factory team like Mercedes, he's inevitably bound to have a champion's heart!

But a championship ambition without the strength to support it would bring significant pain.

As Chen Xiangbei returned to the pit, team members enthusiastically congratulated him, and Liang Chi led technicians in quick maintenance to prepare for the second qualifying session.

Leaving the cockpit and coming to the monitor screen, Chen Xiangbei glanced at the lap time rankings.

He was at the top, but the top few drivers are closely spaced within a gap of just 0.2 seconds.

In the F1 realm, a 0.2-second gap is considered indicating drivers are on the same tier and any driver could overtake the other.

To secure the pole, he needs to be even faster!

But just then, Mizutani Sho came over with a laptop, displaying data recently collected from the car ECU.

"Xiangbei, from the current situation, we have a significant performance advantage, but the engine in over-power mode is overheating. It would be best to control the flying pace in the upcoming two qualifying sessions and give the engine enough cooling time."

"You mean, avoid two consecutive flying laps?"

Chen Xiangbei responded asking, because unless in extremely cold tracks, drivers would normally do a cool-down lap to cool the braking system and tires.

Mizutani emphasizing the issue might indicate that one cooldown lap might not suffice.

"To be on the safe side, it's best to avoid consecutive flying laps."

Mizutani nodded, and with the unpredictable pressure the power unit can bear, a conservative approach was necessary.

Moreover, as Chen Xiangbei's speed was sufficient for advancement, there's no need to take unnecessary risks.

"Okay, I understand."

Chen Xiangbei nodded and turned his gaze to Trulli, who just returned to the pit.

It's unknown if he had not yet fully adapted to the new upgrade kit, or if Perez's presence put significant pressure on Trulli affecting his competitive state.

Trulli ranked 14th in the Q1 qualifying, advancing precariously.

But some things are incomparable, without comparing, it doesn't hurt.

Chen Xiangbei ranked first, while Trulli at fourteenth would add more pressure on him.

Future Red Bull Racing Team changed numerous second drivers due to Verstappen's swift pace, combined with team stress and external media criticism, disrupting his teammates' mentality.

Chen Xiangbei hoped Trulli could withstand the pressure.

In the presence of team members, the two didn't communicate much, just simply hydrated and took restroom breaks. Both Chen Xiangbei and Trulli entered back into the cockpit for the second qualifying session.

Once again, Chen Xiangbei didn't rush out to the track. Besides over-power mode, the engine overheating was also attributed to his aggressive, extreme driving style.

Such as according to data statistics, Chen Xiangbei had the longest full-throttle time proportion among all drivers, accustomed to full-throttle heavy braking when entering corners.

Prolonged violent exploitation brought a significant burden to the power unit.

However, the situation in the second qualifying session did not proceed as the team expected—smooth advancement.

Whether due to Chen Xiangbei's provocation or realizing the potential improvement in the HRT Racing Car, opponents in the paddock decided to speed up again.

Particularly drivers who had conflicts and competition with Chen Xiangbei, like Kubica, Rosberg, and even Hamilton.

They weren't content seeing Chen Xiangbei ahead of them!

Another group included Button, Barrichello, and Masa, experienced drivers.

Despite having glorious historical achievements, they were outperformed by teammates in the new season and urgently needed results to prove their continued strength.

As more drivers joined the "battle," the overall lap times in the second qualifying session were continuously climbing.

"1:32.201, Alonso was the first to break Schumacher's track record."

"In the red-blue battle of 06, Schumacher used incredible speed to overtake Alonso and took the victory at the East Sea International Circuit."

"Four years later, will Alonso reclaim victory in his own way?"

Li Bing's emotions rose with the synced track speed. He never anticipated Alonso to be the first to break the track record held by Schumacher.

Among the competitive drivers, Alonso was actually under the least pressure.

Who could've thought he would exert strength in just the second qualifying session?

As Li Bing had just concluded his commentary, another driver surpassed the track record Alonso had just broken.

His name was Vettel.

The performance of the Red Bull Racing, combined with Vettel emerging from a rising phase, the German driver, hailed as Schumacher's successor, finally showcased his championship potential.

"Crazy, it's insanely crazy; this pace of breaking track records is a scene we hadn't expected."

"Following this trend, we can anticipate more than two drivers breaking track records in this qualifying session. Will Chen Xiangbei from China be the next one?"

Li Bing's tone slightly trembled. If a Chinese driver could break the track record at the East Sea, it would undoubtedly be a memorable honor.

Chen Xiangbei was the sole potential candidate!

Facing Li Bing's questioning, guest Sha Tong next to him did not dare to respond. Even though he held great hope within, the risk of celebrating prematurely with a "jinx" was a possibility.

At this point, the broadcast footage on the circuit switched to the HRT Team's pit, prominently displaying car number 13 on the main screen.

The gaze of two hundred thousand spectators was fixed on Chen Xiangbei, marking a genuine center of attention!