"Go for it, Xiangbei."

"Brother Xiangbei, qualify for Q3!"

"Xiangbei-kun, stay steady."

Team members cheered for Chen Xiangbei as the intensity of this qualifying race far exceeded expectations.

According to the estimated lap times from the first qualifying session, if Chen Xiangbei could clock a lap close to the track record, he could steadily qualify for Q3.

Now that Schumacher's race record is being consistently broken, are the drivers on stimulants, or is the team squeezing the engine until it bursts?

However, the team members remained confident in Chen Xiangbei because, based on the practice and first qualifying session's average performance, as long as no unexpected events or control errors occur during the flying lap, a calm mind would ensure smooth qualification!

"OK."

Chen Xiangbei gestured, then took advantage of the green light in the pit lane to enter the main track.

Compared to Q1's crowded track situation, there were noticeably fewer vehicles left on the track in Q2, which was one of the main factors for the significant improvement in lap times.

During the warm-up lap, Chen Xiangbei already felt the intense and tense atmosphere as the cars roared past at full throttle. At this rate, a lap time of 1:32.201 would not be the limit.

In fact, just as Chen Xiangbei speculated, another driver achieved an astonishing result, and it was completely unexpected by everyone. He was the Williams driver Barrichello.

Talking about this name, most people would be very familiar; he was one of the founders of the Ferrari horse dynasty.

Yet, when talking about Barrichello's career, it can only be described as a life overshadowed by Schumacher's halo!

Barrichello wanted to escape Schumacher's shadow but had to succumb to interests, spending years as Ferrari's second driver, earning over 100 million US Dollars.

Until Ferrari's horse dynasty ended, Barrichello transferred to other teams but still couldn't adequately prove his strength, remaining labeled as the best second driver.

However, in the second half of the 09 season with the Brawn GP Team, Barrichello saw his form resurgent, almost overturning the huge advantage Jenson Button accumulated earlier, ultimately missing the world championship narrowly.

In the first half of the 10 season, Barrichello's form was actually not bad, consistently outperformed his Japanese teammate Nakajima Ikki, prompting Sir Williams to make the mid-route "slaughter" decision.

But limited by the mid-to-lower performance of the Williams car, Barrichello could only hover outside the top 10, unable to become a strong competitor in the points zone.

Yet at the East Sea International Circuit, Barrichello was very powerful.

Because he was the inaugural F1 Chinese Grand Prix champion, defeating the then track record holder King of Cars Schumacher!

Not only did Barrichello rise strongly, but reigning champion Jenson Button also set another shocking lap time.

1:32.015!

This result improved Schumacher's track record by 0.2 seconds, leaving only one step away from opening the 1:31 mark.

"Button, well done!"

In the McLaren Team's pit box, boss Dennis and team leader Whitmarsh were very excited. They spent heavily to poach Button from the Mercedes Team, aiming to build a world champion team lineup.

Or to put it more directly, McLaren is the only team in the paddock with a combination of two world champions!

But in the first two races, Jenson Button's performance was very poor, not to mention winning the leg championship; he couldn't even make it to the podium, making the team management greatly disappointed.

Fortunately, in the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, both McLaren Team drivers showed extremely strong hard skills.

If this form and performance can be maintained, McLaren might surpass Red Bull and rise to the top of the team points standings post-race!

"Old Sha, opponents are no longer hiding their strength, don't know if Xiangbei will feel pressured?"

Commentator Li Bing no longer had his previous tone full of confidence; indeed, the situation on the track is developing unpredictably.

Who could have thought before the race that Barrichello, driving a mid-performance Williams car, could surpass Schumacher's track record?

"The team probably won't inform him about the lap time ranking."

"Not knowing eliminates pressure."

Sha Tong shook his head, stating the most likely scenario.

During driving, drivers can't know the real-time lap times and rankings in the paddock.

Many drivers, even immediately after the race, can't accurately determine their ranking, only celebrating victories with various gestures, then being informed of penalties or disqualification, experiencing empty joy.

Chen Xiangbei is a rookie, even though over several races he's shown a very stable psychological and emotional state, the team wouldn't inform him of the opponents' scores to add unnecessary pressure in this case.

Sha Tong stated the usual practice, but he did not understand HRT Team's unique conduct.

Odetto saw the opponent's results, didn't hesitate, and pressed the voice communication button, saying.

"Xiangbei, the situation has changed a bit; a conservative plan might not guarantee qualification for Q3."

"What do you mean, are the other drivers fast?"

Chen Xiangbei casually asked back.

"Yes, the fastest lap reached 1:32.015, and Barrichello and Kubica from mid-tier teams have competitive speed. They will vie for the ten Q3 qualifying spots."

F1 qualifying spots are like carrots with their own pits.

With several top teams, a few qualifying spots must be reserved unless an accident occurs.