Car Racing without Money-Chapter 486 - 191: I’m Not Fighting Alone

[Raikkonen only ranked thirteenth in his debut?]

Chen Xiangbei was somewhat surprised. Due to the distant period, he wasn’t sure where Raikkonen ranked in his debut.

He instinctively thought the ranking should be high.

After all, the fierce pioneers of F1 in the 10s era basically achieved points in their debut, and Hamilton, this legendary driver, made it to the podium in his first race!

"Odetto, retrieve the first-person view footage from Trulli. I plan to use this break before the qualifying session to take a look."

Chen Xiangbei didn’t speak much to Briatore. Instead, he instructed Odetto.

Previously, he had reached an agreement with Trulli to share the tuning data, which included the first-person in-car footage.

Regarding the high-speed cornering at Bahrain Circuit, Chen Xiangbei wanted to see if he could learn something from the footage and find a better way to optimize cornering lines to increase his speed.

"So ambitious?"

Faced with Chen Xiangbei’s determination, Briatore’s tone carried a hint of surprise.

In the past, with the rookie drivers he led, it was mostly Hua Bu who took the initiative to pressure the drivers, finding various ways to squeeze out potential for higher performance gains.

The reason he didn’t pressure Chen Xiangbei this time, but rather encouraged him, was because Hua Bu was truly satisfied with the current results, not just saying something for appearances.

He didn’t need to say anything merely for appearances to Chen Xiangbei at all.

Briatore, having been in the paddock for twenty years, knew very well that the miracle of the Brown GP Team couldn’t be replicated. In most cases, new teams without an automotive manufacturer as a parent company usually end up at the bottom.

Any dreams of being a championship team are, bluntly, just PUA-style rhetoric aimed at Chen Xiangbei.

Step back and say, even the Brown GP Team can’t be considered much of a miracle; it was more like a surprise, logically expected.

With a complete Honda Team, plus a car blown out by loopholes using three wind tunnels, this configuration is not something a "newbie" team can achieve.

A truly new team is more like the historical HRT and Virgin types, without their own wind tunnel or large-scale research base, assembling a "public version" car through various procurement, relying entirely on software simulation for aerodynamics!

This year, among the total 24 F1 drivers participating, Chen Xiangbei’s practice rank of 12 means he has already surpassed fifty percent of the drivers, squeezing into the mid-field group in the paddock.

More importantly, he is actually faster than Trulli!

Before signing with Alonso, Trulli was Hua Bu’s "prized jewel." What kind of lap level did this Italian "compatriot" have? The old rogue knew it only too well.

Even now, as an "ageing teammate," he remains around the top ten.

Chen Xiangbei’s current demonstrated speed and strength have actually met Briatore’s psychological expectations and pre-race targets.

Or, in another way of expression, Hua Bu internally didn’t truly believe a rookie driver from China could become the next Alonso or Schumacher.

At this stage, it’s enough for his promotional hype.

It’s just Hua Bu plays with rhetoric, while Chen Xiangbei truly has a champion’s heart!

He is not satisfied with the practice results, regardless of whether the problem lies with the car or himself. Chen Xiangbei hopes for a bigger breakthrough.

"Raikkonen ranked thirteenth in qualifying, but finished sixth in his debut race, proving both the driver and car perform well over long distances."

"If TF110’s long-distance tire management is poor, it is impossible to surpass six opponents in the race starting from a qualifying rank of twelve. I wouldn’t fulfill the bold statements made before the race."

"Briatore, you don’t think the criticism is aimed only at me by others, do you?"

Chen Xiangbei replied irritably. The Italian rogue was very diligent in hyping up before the race and even arranged for journalists to create a scene.

Now that the race is at the performance stage, he instead shows a nonchalant attitude.

It’s truly a reversal of the stars!

"What does it matter?"

Briatore spread his hands and then added, "The process is not important, only the result matters."

"From the moment you made those bold statements, I had already won."

The team, and even the team in Hua Bu’s eyes, is simply a tool to gain profit.

If Chen Xiangbei is mocked by everyone, Hua Bu would even willingly fan the flames, as long as the Chinese kid can handle the pressure mentally.

The paddock isn’t afraid of being notorious; it’s afraid of being ignored!

In F1’s history over the years, countless mediocre drivers have come and gone. They aren’t the worst of the batch.

But they are certainly the least recognized of the batch.

Even if you drive as poorly as Mazepin or Latife, once you’re famous, you can continue racing for three years.

The reason is that capital and fame can provide sponsorship returns to the team, unless the crashes become so exaggerated that they are "financially unviable."

On the contrary, many mediocre drivers, even after a race without incidents, practically have no camera presence, leaving no trace in the paddock.

Such drivers are truly disregarded by the advertisers!

Perhaps realizing his words were too blunt, or possibly sensing the hidden "killing intent" of Chen Xiangbei,

Hua Bu coughed lightly to disguise the awkwardness and placed a hand on Chen Xiangbei’s shoulder, speaking earnestly to ease the tension: "Of course, achieving results would be even better."

"Bei, go ahead. I believe in you!"

After saying this, Hua Bu quickly left, patting his backside, already having arranged to "discuss life" with a model.

"Heh, never changes."

Odetto observed Briatore’s behavior and coldly sneered.

In response, Chen Xiangbei could only smile helplessly. The double-edged sword is indeed somewhat challenging to wield.