Car Racing without Money-Chapter 558 - 218: Chinese Rookie Defies Expectations

Chapter 558: Chapter 218: Chinese Rookie Defies Expectations

[Take out Kubica?]

When Briatore urged him, Chen Xiangbei’s first reaction was one of surprise.

After all, as a team manager, encouraging a driver to engage in road rage on the track seemed utterly absurd.

But then, the corners of Chen Xiangbei’s mouth slightly curled up, and a trace of anticipation even arose in his heart.

Since Kubica won’t yield, then I’ll make him yield by racing!

Perhaps, just as Briatore believes, the Chinese Kid is naturally aggressive with a strong desire to win; he won’t shy away from any provocation or challenge.

On the contrary, the stronger the opponent, the more excited he becomes.

"Odetto, isn’t it a bit too much for the manager to give such an order?"

"In a situation like this, going up against Kubica, Xiangbei could not only ruin his flying lap but also risk car damage."

Sawano Hiroyuki asked with some concern. The older generation of Japanese drivers tends to be conservative, a complete contrast to Briatore.

In his view, it was a losing proposition for Chen Xiangbei to "take out" Kubica at this time.

"No, it’s perfectly normal."

"Huh?"

Sawano Hiroyuki was a bit surprised. Was Odetto also siding with Briatore?

"This isn’t Xiangbei going against Kubica; on the contrary, it’s Kubica provoking Xiangbei."

"The other party isn’t afraid of car damage despite ranking higher in Q2; why should Xiangbei worry so much? Being weak means being easy to bully!"

Briatore often gives unreliable instructions, which seem bizarre to outsiders.

Even this time, inexplicably directing Chen Xiangbei to take out Kubica, it seems like a ruffian making a scene on the street, completely lacking the demeanor of an F1 team manager.

But Odetto, from the seemingly "crazy" instruction, understood the meaning Briatore wanted to convey.

In Chinese terms, it’s called "killing the chicken to scare the monkey!"

After the inaugural race, Rosberg’s accusations were the fuse, coupled with the incident at Kovalainen’s club and the fanning of flames by various public opinions, this race seemed plagued with negativity for Chen Xiangbei.

As a result, several drivers blocked him in the first qualifying session.

The F1 Paddock follows the law of the jungle, meaning that you can be inexperienced but not weak.

Someone as inexperienced as Latife, Verstappen and Hamilton have to give way to him, who might cause an accident that directly affects the championship outcome.

As for someone as weak as Sargent, it’s not about being overtaken on track but rather not even deserving a car to drive!

A great person once said, "Deliver a single strong blow to prevent a hundred weak ones."

Kubica is that one strong blow for Chen Xiangbei to counter.

If it’s a hard and beautiful hit, criticisms within the paddock, like those from Rosberg, even though they won’t disappear completely, will at least be significantly quieter.

Just like the Spanish Grand Prix in the 25th season, when Verstappen was clearly involved in a crash. Yet, the driver opinions in the paddock remained courteous afterward.

If it were a softie driver, even their ancestors’ graves might get cursed.

A fierce reputation combined with strength indeed deters many from provoking.

On the track, Chen Xiangbei was unaware of the conversation in the pit. He was now fully focused on defending against Kubica instead of running the fastest lap.

Kubica could easily catch the slipstream and close the distance, even making provocative moves by sticking to the car’s tail, because Chen Xiangbei’s flying lap lines were predictable; after all, the fastest line through a corner is basically that one path.

But once he switched to a defensive driving style, Chen Xiangbei would frequently change lanes to disrupt his slipstream and wouldn’t take the best line through the corners, leaving Kubica unable to predict, thus turning it into a full-on offensive and defensive battle.

Feeling the change in Chen Xiangbei’s racing style, Kubica’s face under the helmet showed an excited expression.

He too is a racing fanatic filled with a "desire to battle," and the reason he became a "one-handed driver" was due to a car accident when he participated in rally racing during the offseason, refusing to stand idle.

This is very similar to Verstappen, both seeing racing as their whole life.

However, with advanced racing simulators in later generations, Verstappen no longer needed to drive on track constantly to maintain his feel, whereas Kubica had to enhance himself by racing in different events.

The mishap during the inaugural race, where he slid off the track, always bothered Kubica. He felt he hadn’t showcased his full potential.

Today, with Chen Xiangbei accepting the challenge, he could finally go all out, thinking of this, Kubica felt his blood boil—this is the thrill and allure competitive sports seek!

The so-called strongest rookie is about to become my defeated opponent!

Both cars raced at full speed, the engine roars resonating across the sky, and the lead car, Chen Xiangbei, constantly steered and switched lanes, trying to disrupt the airflow at the rear of his car.

But a focused Kubica was far stronger than expected.

With peak reflexes, he keenly captured Chen Xiangbei’s line movements, seizing the "vacuum" area at the back of the car to close in quickly.

Given Kubica’s tough character and with Chen Xiangbei already accepting the challenge, this time he didn’t just follow closely behind. Instead, he floored the gas pedal, using the "sling-shot" effect from the slipstream, pulled out, changed lanes, and overtook to the right side of Chen Xiangbei’s car!

Kubica’s entire overtaking maneuver was clean and crisp, even describable as silky smooth.

The speed boost from the slipstream effect ensured that Kubica’s speed was faster than Chen Xiangbei’s, the front of his car gradually surpassed the rear wing, then the rear wheels, and soon reached the sidepod position.