Car Racing without Money-Chapter 501 - 196: Race Strategy Is a Math Problem

Chapter 501: Chapter 196: Race Strategy Is a Math Problem

"This opening can guide the airflow through the rear wing and release downforce. Maybe Bell, the director, can pay more attention."

Chen Xiangbei replied in a composed tone. He believed that a slight reminder was enough for Bob Bell, with his capability and talent, to quickly understand the working principle of the F-duct and proceed to the next step of fitting it into mid-race car upgrades.

"You understand this too?"

Briatore’s tone was full of surprise, considering Chen Xiangbei had been with Honda Suzuka Racing School for less than two years.

His expertise in automotive engineering enabled him to deduce the function of the cockpit opening just from a photo—such talent was beyond exaggerated!

"Hmm."

With a simple nod, Chen Xiangbei turned and walked towards the driver’s lounge.

The more explanations, the more loopholes.

Briatore’s personality dictated that unless it involved core issues like interests, other matters were negligible and would soon be overlooked.

After taking a shower and changing clothes, Chen Xiangbei saw Trulli sitting in front of the sofa, watching his own qualifying first-person footage.

Both had used a set of red soft tires during Q3, but Trulli didn’t risk pushing for two fast laps. Perhaps he felt he couldn’t achieve a faster speed, which made such actions unnecessary.

Trulli hadn’t anticipated that Chen Xiangbei ultimately improved his ranking by one position.

Trulli was very curious about how Chen Xiangbei accomplished this!

Though they had agreed to share data, Trulli, due to veteran pride and dignity, had not checked Chen Xiangbei’s setup feedback or onboard first-person footage.

Facing continuous setbacks, Trulli now realized the Chinese rookie might be far stronger than he had anticipated, and he hadn’t relied on Chinese capital acquiring team shares to secure a formal driver contract.

Chen Xiangbei might actually be relying on his strength.

Confronted with Trulli’s actions, Chen Xiangbei remained quiet, silently exiting the driver lounge and returning to the hotel for rest.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, Chen Xiangbei didn’t partake in high-intensity physical training; instead, he watched the qualifying broadcast in the room, attempting to learn the techniques and lines of "the strong ones" across the four major teams.

He was acutely aware that the disparity in F1 seemed minuscule but was often an insurmountable chasm.

A slight increase in speed and even the same racing line could lead to the risk of losing control!

In his past life, Chen Xiangbei’s talent was limited; truthfully, he could only be considered a mediocre driver. Even if sponsorship allowed him to cross the F1 threshold, his peak would likely remain around fifteenth place.

A conservative style wouldn’t cause excessive car damage, akin to directors like Mazepin and Latife.

Nor could he produce a self-transcending "godly lap" that would make the world take notice.

Talent determines the ceiling; even learning from other drivers doesn’t reveal the subtle intricacies of control at this level.

Much like Verstappen’s many teammates, such as Albon, Lawson, Kakida Yuuki, etc., who couldn’t handle Red Bull’s extreme "Specialized Car" setup, wouldn’t they mimic and learn?

The answer is that learning would be futile.

The same racing line, a vehicle sense could control Verstappen’s car from skidding, but mimicking it would definitely lead to loss of control.

Chen Xiangbei was different now; he could sense the dynamic balance changes of the car, knowing the limits of control for certain racing lines.

Watching other drivers’ race videos now brought unique insights.

Especially those currently on the rise like Vettel, Hamilton, Rosberg, and those in their prime like Alonso, Button, etc., all could catalyze Chen Xiangbei’s improvement.

The hotel nighttime was calm, but outside, a media storm had brewed.

As one of the world’s most influential events, the F1 inaugural qualifying results were reported by various media.

Audiences were surprised to find that the previously unrecognized Chinese driver, implied to have secured his seat through payment, had scored seventh overall, outpacing numerous well-known drivers!

Especially the BBC took advantage of the momentum, writing a special feature about Chen Xiangbei.

"Has the strongest rookie emerged? Can the Chinese driver Bei become the season’s dark horse?"

The article seemed to praise but was filled with veiled criticisms, also disparaging several drivers while highlighting Chen Xiangbei’s offensive actions against Sutil during the race, emphasizing the United Kingdom’s traditional style of stirring trouble and acting as instigators.

The next morning at the breakfast meeting, Briatore, with a cigar in hand, looked at a newspaper depicting Chen Xiangbei with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Bei, in the BBC report, you truly seem like a bully."

"Didn’t you give the queue-cutting order?"

Chen Xiangbei responded sarcastically.

"No, no, no, I only hinted." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Briatore shook his fingers, immediately denying Chen Xiangbei’s "accusation."

Then Hua Bu’s face showed a "tempting" smile and said, "Admit it, Bei, your inner self and outer appearance actually have a huge contrast, filled with defiance and rebellion deep down."

"I just want you to unleash your nature and become your true self!"

Normally, in the face of Briatore’s seduction and psychological manipulation, Chen Xiangbei remained clear-headed, very wary of this Italian old rogue, avoiding situations where he might be sold yet still help count the money.

But at this remark, Chen Xiangbei stayed silent.

The fierce confrontations on the track actually made his blood boil, and he could even say he enjoyed being at the center of media attention.