Car Racing without Money-Chapter 500 - 195: Endless Black Tech, Part 3

Odetto promptly reminded Kubica, the Renault driver in eighth place, who is extremely fast and aggressive, and once drove the BMW Sauber to compete against Ferrari, briefly hailed as the next champion driver in F1.

Unfortunately, to win the F1 championship, all factors of timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony are indispensable.

Kubica secured a long-term contract with the BMW Sauber Team during his rookie phase, which was considered an honor and a testament to his strength.

After all, it’s extremely rare for a rookie to secure a long-term contract, let alone a contract with a top team like BMW!

Unexpectedly, BMW Sauber was merely in name only, and the long-term contract became a shackle for Kubica.

Finally, when his contract expired, he jumped to the "Big Three" Renault, only for the "Crashgate" scandal to break out, and Renault turned out to be a disappointment...

It can only be said that he was born without a championship fate!

After briefly highlighting these two key drivers, Odetto stopped speaking.

As a rookie for the season, getting familiar with the technical characteristics of two F1 drivers just about reaches the limit of his capacity.

Paying attention to other drivers, Chen Xiangbei has no energy or strength.

"Take a shower, change clothes, and get ready to return to the hotel."

Once the race discussion was over, Odetto noticed Chen Xiangbei sweating profusely and realized he was a bit too hasty, so he gave this advice.

"Hmm."

"By the way, where’s Briatore the manager?"

Chen Xiangbei asked, wondering why Hua Bu, the head of the HRT Team, wasn’t around to offer congratulations after the qualifying round or even show up.

Could it be he’s off having a date with some model again?

"You’ll see him as soon as you step out of the P room."

[What does he mean?]

Confronted with Odetto’s response, Chen Xiangbei was a bit baffled.

Yet he carried a sense of curiosity, stepping out of the P room and glancing around.

Sure enough, he saw Briatore holding a digital camera, continuously taking photos of the cars from other teams heading back to the station.

Upon seeing Chen Xiangbei, Briatore even "enthusiastically" waved a greeting.

[What’s going on here?]

This scene left Chen Xiangbei completely perplexed. Briatore isn’t a journalist or a car fan, so he shouldn’t be interested in the appearance of cars from other teams.

Could it be he’s probing for technical insights?

But is there such a blatant way to take photos?

Just when Chen Xiangbei was lost in thought, Briatore had already approached.

With a proud air, he proclaimed his achievement: "Xiangbei, I’ve captured photos of the key competitors’ car details. When we get back to the hotel, I’ll transmit them to Bob Bell and let him figure out the differences in aerodynamic kits."

"Is this even allowed?"

Chen Xiangbei was stunned. Although aerodynamic shapes are an open secret within F1, Hua Bu being so bold in photographing other teams’ repair stations feels a bit excessive.

"Of course, it’s no secret."

"Do other teams allow it?"

"As long as they don’t stop me."

Nonsense!

Upon hearing Hua Bu’s response, Chen Xiangbei could only muster a capital "服" in his heart. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Others are likely speechless before this Italian rogue, simply unable to face stopping him.

"By the way, I’ve noticed something odd about the McLaren cars."

Briatore wasn’t bothered by the change in Chen Xiangbei’s expression, murmuring to himself.

"What’s wrong?"

"You wouldn’t understand even if I told you."

Faced with Chen Xiangbei’s question, Hua Bu bore an expression of contempt.

"Do you think I read for nothing?"

Chen Xiangbei retorted with displeasure, sensing Briatore’s tone and expression, which seemed to imply he was illiterate.

Just because Chen Xiangbei hasn’t attended school doesn’t mean he hasn’t read.

Every day, hours of studying race engineering knowledge and keeping in touch with Suzuka University teachers online enrich his mind.

To become a world-champion-level driver, thorough knowledge of race cars down to the finest detail is essential; true illiterates can’t even tune cars, so on what basis could they compete for the world championship?

Just like Mercedes’ eight titles dynasty, Rosberg studied at Imperial College London, Hamilton graduated from Cambridge Arts and Sciences College, both renowned top-tier universities in the world.

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei’s response, Briatore considered it reasonable.

So he opened the photos on the camera taken earlier, pointing at the cockpit of the McLaren car: "See, there’s a hole here, which doesn’t seem to conform to conventional logic."

Looking at the digital camera’s screen, Chen Xiangbei indeed saw the side of the McLaren car’s cockpit, as if there was a hole punctured through.

It’s known F1 cars are the pinnacle of design and should never feature inexplicable elements, let alone have a cockpit damaged with a hole.

If something abnormal happens, there’s always a reason, and this hole surely has a purpose!

After a bit of thinking, a term surfaced in Chen Xiangbei’s mind.

That is the "F-Duct"!

The black technology that appeared in the 2010 season, not just the waste diffuser, but also the F-Duct.

The operational principle of this apparatus, in simple terms, is the car’s cockpit has an air intake at the front, which in normal circumstances helps cool the race car and can also lower the temperature for the driver.

McLaren designed a special airflow channel, whereby if the driver blocks the cockpit’s exhaust port, the airflow inside follows the duct to the underside of the car’s rear wing, creating an effect similar to an airplane’s stall.

In simpler, more straightforward terms, this duct can reduce the car’s drag, increasing the top speed of long straights by 10km/h.

Vettel of Red Bull Racing team once exaggeratedly said that activating the F-Duct to change the airflow direction allows Jenson Button to effortlessly pull away from him on long straights, as if easily overtaking a stationary opponent.

Contrasted with several years later, it’s akin to one car using DRS and the other not.

The reason big teams are referred to as such is due to the variety of their pants-pocket-pulling black techno-tricks, constantly skirting the edges of FIA event regulations, always finding ways to exploit loopholes.

Chen Xiangbei never imagined that Briatore’s brazen photographing would actually capture McLaren’s black technology secret.

Indeed, high-end "technological warfare" is always so unpretentious and genuine!

PS: Congratulations to Ye Yifei for winning the Le Mans 24-hour overall championship, the most valuable championship in WEC!