Car Racing without Money-Chapter 473 - 186: The Next Superstar Driver (10K)
It is often said that there must be something strange when things go abnormal, and with Briatore’s mysterious smile, Chen Xiangbei has reason to suspect that he is behind the tricks.
"No."
Hua Bu shook his head resolutely.
"Then the second one?"
"No."
"Then the third one?"
Chen Xiangbei didn’t believe that this matter had nothing to do with Hua Bu, so he kept questioning.
"Do you want to know the answer?"
Briatore showed an amused smile on his face.
"Say it."
"I invited them all."
[What the hell...]
Chen Xiangbei was at a loss for words; he thought of the beginning but didn’t guess the ending.
"Was the segment with Raikkonen’s question also prepared by you in advance?"
"Of course, Raikkonen has a lot of fans, and marketing bundled with him has a high buzz."
At this point, Briatore added proudly, "More importantly, Raikkonen is now going to race in WRC rallies, and there is no risk of losing by bumping into him!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangbei instantly understood why the "Twin Stars" remarks, which had already died down, were suddenly mentioned again; the Italian rogue was behind it all.
"What if I can’t rank in the top six?"
Don’t look at the difference between the top ten and the top six as just four positions; many times, this is the dividing line between the mid-tier teams and the top three "big three."
If you move up, it means you have to push one of the big three drivers down.
Many who have watched F1 races know from experience that often before the Grand Prix even starts, the top six or even top ten spots can be pre-assigned.
Two Red Bulls, two Ferraris, two Mercedes, and two McLarens would have already divided the positions completely.
Teams like Renault, Toro Rosso, Haas, etc., under normal circumstances, are always scrambling for the last one or two spots on the points chart.
To put it in a more understandable way, the top ten is to compete with other mid-tier team’s small teams, while the top six is to snatch meat from the mouths of big teams!
"What does it have to do with me if you can’t make it?"
"I only contact the journalists for questions; how you answer is your business."
Saying this, Briatore lightly patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder and replied earnestly, "Young man, you must learn to take responsibility for yourself!"
After saying that, Hua Bu walked away, leaving Chen Xiangbei dazed in the wind.
With his experience over two lifetimes, Chen Xiangbei had only seen managers from competing teams digging pits, never had he seen a team manager paying off journalists to harm their own driver.
But then again, if Chen Xiangbei had crossed over a bit later and waited for Briatore to take up the position of Renault Team manager again, he could have seen how he sabotaged the sponsorship money of the team’s two rookies...
Now that things have come to this, Chen Xiangbei had nothing more to say and could only return to the team pit room.
Seeing Chen Xiangbei return, the team members who had already seen the press conference content from the broadcast had very interesting expressions on their faces.
The Dream Team had been alright, having seen Chen Xiangbei’s wild appearances, it’s just a change of setting.
As for the teams like Toyota and Renault, they were all shocked and surprised. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
For these past few months of team interactions, Chen Xiangbei had completely matched the impression of a friendly, low-key Chinese person, and no one expected that he had this side.
"Why don’t you take a break; the practice session is about to start soon."
Odetto reminded Chen Xiangbei while urging the technician group to inspect the car and preheat the oil and liquids.
F1 cars cannot perform a cold start and often need preparatory work before the race.
"Okay."
Chen Xiangbei nodded and then walked into the driver’s lounge.
Trulli had returned to the lounge first, sitting on the sofa and looking at the track data on the laptop.
When Chen Xiangbei came in, he didn’t even look up, directly ignoring his presence.
Chen Xiangbei was already used to this; the two of them were currently in a competitive relationship, and with Trulli having the pride and self-respect of a veteran, he would not allow himself to lose to a Chinese rookie.
The two of them sat quietly like this for about ten minutes, then Chen Xiangbei heard Trulli say.
"Do you need me to share the tuning plan?"
Most of the time, F1 drivers on the same team choose to share tuning plans.
The reason is simple: practice time is limited, and there are too many projects to test.
If tuning plans aren’t shared, it’s often impossible for a single driver to test all the projects, leading to a "double loss" situation for the team.
But there is one exception, and that is when two drivers are competing for a spot.
Many times, when drivers sign contracts, the team will not let both drivers go but will keep the one with better performance.
No driver wants to leave the paddock, and this is when fierce in-team competition arises; the advantageous position driver or their strategy group would refuse to share tuning plans.
A double loss is still better than you winning alone.
Even in very harmonious in-team relationships like Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, when facing the competition for the ’25 spot, Bottas and his strategy group refused to share tune data.
Zhou Guanyu’s tuning is weak, and he adapts slowly to the track; without team cooperation, he often cannot complete all the tests and can only choose between two different tunings for the race and the qualifying.
Undoubtedly, the race is more important than qualifying.
That’s why in the ’24 season, his qualifying was almost a total loss against Bottas.
Chen Xiangbei didn’t expect Trulli to pro-actively mention sharing tuning data; after all, their relationship under Briatore’s influence was almost "hostile."
Without much hesitation, Chen Xiangbei responded: "I need it."
Chen Xiangbei had a good feel for the car and was very good at car tuning.
But he had zero experience with Bahrain Sakhir Circuit!
The three-day Grand Prix doesn’t allow time for Chen Xiangbei to accumulate experience, nor is there time to complete all tuning tests.
Trulli’s willingness to share data could be described as sending coal in the snow.
"Just this race."
Trulli added another sentence immediately after.
"Okay."
"But why are you helping me?"
In the current situation, sharing tuning data clearly benefits Chen Xiangbei more.
Given Trulli’s fiery and proud personality, he couldn’t understand why the other party would extend a helping hand.
Especially with Hua Bu being his agent.
"Because among the F1 drivers, you’re still a rookie!"
Trulli bluntly replied, helping is helping, but it doesn’t mean he is showing weakness.
There was no scene of rejecting charity occurring; in the face of Trulli’s words, Chen Xiangbei merely smiled indifferently.
The old saying still holds true, arrogance is merely Chen Xiangbei’s facade, and inside he possesses a very clear awareness.
The outside can be flamboyant, but never place yourself at a high position.
Readily admit your shortcomings, learn from the strengths of others, and ultimately establish yourself in the Domain of the Gods.
No one would consider a winner a rookie, only a loser is considered one!
