"Xiangbei, go for it, today I want to witness your coronation as king!"

"The conqueror of the Monaco Circuit is equivalent to winning one of the three crowns of motor racing, Chen Xiangbei, go create a miracle!"

"Go for it, Xiangbei. Go for it, HRT!"

"You will become the world’s greatest driver, you definitely will, Car God Bei!"

As soon as Chen Xiangbei stepped into the pit lane, deafening cheers and applause erupted.

If you listened closely, you could even spot that those waving red flags were not only Chinese or international students, but also quite a few older European men.

Europe once was Chen Xiangbei’s "enemy camp." When he raced in the lower-tier Formula events here, more often than not, he was met with cold stares and ridicule. Additionally, in order to gain more attention, Chen Xiangbei sometimes deliberately made shocking statements to stir the pot, which resulted in a rather poor image and reputation.

But from another perspective, European fans turned out to be among those who understood Chen Xiangbei the most on a global scale.

Even more so than Chinese fans, and even earlier than them.

Much like Zhou Guanyu in later years, many Chinese fans only noticed this Chinese driver after he entered F1, seeing his fame skyrocket domestically.

In reality, many Europeans who follow Formula racing had heard of this Chinese driver back in the F2 or even F3 days, and he had even received sponsorship from some European brands.

For European fans, to use a modern internet slang phrase, Chen Xiangbei was "hated so much that they grew to love him."

Originally thought to be a rookie who just talked big, driving conservatively and badly, he turned out to be fiercely aggressive on the track, making every race with him full of highlights and passion, climbing higher and higher, until he was on the verge of contending for the world championship.

In sports events, the group with the largest number is the fans of the champions. If a pole position isn’t enough to convince them, then winning a race might, and if that’s still not enough, then winning the world championship will do it.

As long as your number of championships is high enough and your achievements are solid, even enemies can become fans.

Like in the future, there’s a game called League of Legends, where in most cases, the Chinese and South Korean teams were like fire and water, yet there’s one exception with an esports player named Faker.

Even when he came to China or other countries to compete, he could basically garner home ground cheers.

The reason was none other than the status brought by his six world championship titles.

Chen Xiangbei is now the same; his way to win the world’s respect is simple — he needs to become like Senna or Schumacher, the highest mountain or the longest river in the racing world.

Perhaps the results aren’t there yet, but the audience is unknowingly witnessing a change!

"Don’t get too happy too soon, Alonso is the strongest driver, the Chinese guy can’t stop him."

"Remember, Rosberg will defend the home glory!"

"Vettel will be crowned king, and Red Bull will also become the strongest driver!"

"Don’t forget that Kubica is in fifth place; if he had a good car, he could also compete for the championship!"

The race hadn’t even started, yet the debate over the championship was already intense.

Perhaps Chen Xiangbei, with pole position, has many supporters, but before the race ends, the fans of other drivers are equally unwilling to concede.

The Monaco Circuit is just difficult to overtake on, not impossible. Furthermore, this was more than a decade ago when the car bodies were smaller, making overtaking relatively easier.

As long as the checkered flag hasn’t appeared, the victory or defeat is still unknown!

Apart from the cacophony of the audience, many celebrities also attended the event, with even the Prince of Monaco arriving at the circuit.

However, the media cameras weren’t focused on this group of celebrities, dignitaries or royals, but rather on a former F1 driver, the Finnish Ice Man, Kimi Raikkonen!

The reason Kimi Raikkonen has the nickname "Ice Man" is because he maintained a cold demeanor throughout his career, whether facing the audience, the media, or his own career.

Historically, in the 2006 season at the Monaco Station, Raikkonen encountered a car failure and retired. If it were any other driver, they would either sit dejectedly on the grass or hang their heads back to the rest area.

Kimi Raikkonen alone acted as if nothing happened, directly going to the yacht by the trackside to "vacation."

This action garnered a lot of criticism.

Supporters believed that since he retired anyway, relaxing as the result could not be changed was no issue. Must one always feel depressed or regretful?

Opponents felt that Kimi Raikkonen lacked professionalism; this guy had lost his fighting spirit and competitive desire, drinking and enjoying a yacht during the race was not how a professional driver should act?

But regardless of whether it was support or opposition, Raikkonen couldn’t be bothered with either.

Being true to himself could probably be the best embodiment of the Finnish Ice Man.

Since Chen Xiangbei entered the European Formula racing career, he basically tied his name with Raikkonen’s — the same leapfrogging speed, the same disregard for outside opinions, and the same dominant speed.

Except their careers only slightly diverged when Chen Xiangbei entered the F1 Paddock, Raikkonen chose to leave the F1 Paddock for WRC.

Today, Raikkonen returned to the Monaco Circuit to fulfill a promise with Chen Xiangbei.

To verify who truly is the prodigy?

"Kimi, is it true that you plan to do a night race in Monte Carlo with Xiangbei?"