Car Racing without Money-Chapter 555 - 216: Only the Strong Deserve Hostility (Part 2)

Chapter 555: Chapter 216: Only the Strong Deserve Hostility (Part 2)

Chen Xiangbei is different. From beginning to end, this Chinese kid exudes a tenacity; he will not yield.

This kind of character is very much like Senna in the past, always filled with aggression on the track!

"Xiangbei’s speed is not bad, this lap should temporarily rank in the top five."

Prost gave his prediction. Although Chen Xiangbei is clearly faster than his practice speed, encounters with traffic and overtaking will inevitably affect his performance.

One has to admit, the professor’s calculations are precise.

Car number 13 roared past the finish line, and the track’s big screen almost simultaneously displayed the lap time.

minute 25.288 seconds.

Chen Xiangbei’s name instantly jumped to fifth on the leaderboard!

This performance brought applause from the HRT Team’s pit box.

Although the first qualifying session is not over yet, and this is only a temporary fifth position, it isn’t the final grid position either.

But everyone knows very well, how valuable this speed is!

Just one day ago during practice, Chen Xiangbei couldn’t even handle the upgrade kit.

In just one day, just one!

Chen Xiangbei achieved a Q1 fifth position despite being impeded by slower cars, showcasing an extraordinary talent for learning and adaptation.

Especially Trulli, who had returned to the pit box earlier, was staring wide-eyed at the large screen, full of amazement.

No one knows better than him how perfect his Q1 performance was — fully mastering the old kit, coupled with the inherent characteristics of the Toyota Series cars, and familiarity with the Albert Park Circuit, to clock in at 1 minute 24 seconds.

The result: Chen Xiangbei was only less than 0.3 seconds slower than him!

Bear in mind that during practice, Chen Xiangbei was more than 0.5 seconds slower.

That was a perfect performance, yet despite Chen Xiangbei’s obstacles, they were closely matched in lap time.

Had everything gone smoothly for Chen Xiangbei, would that 0.3-second advantage even remain?

Reality is somewhat cruel; Trulli dared not think any further. Could it be that he is indeed getting old, about to be replaced by a young genius?

"Xiangbei, Q1 qualifying result is fifth, return to pit for inspection."

Odetto issued the command, meaning Q1 qualifying would be concluded with just one flying lap.

Such instructions are common within the F1 paddock. If the team judges that the achieved result won’t fall into the elimination zone, they recall the driver for early inspection.

On one hand, it gives the driver ample rest time, and on the other hand, it saves the engine and tires.

The HRT Team’s power unit reserves issue is yet unresolved; the reestablishment of the Toyota Group’s production still requires time, at least until the next Grand Prix.

"COYP."

Chen Xiangbei raised no objections. The fifth place should safely see him into Q2, with no need to push for another lap.

Often in the F1 paddock, although there appear to be over a dozen teams, genuinely competitive ones are at most six or seven. The rest mostly play a minor role.

Especially before the F1 budget cap was enacted, as long as major teams didn’t misstep in development, an invisible chasm existed between them and smaller teams. New teams like Lotus and Virgin could never catch up to Ferrari and Red Bull.

Even midfield teams with heritage and fame like Sauber and Williams were being left further behind.

The 2009 and 2010 seasons could be considered the last era of intense competition before the budget cap!

The TF110 car returned to the pit box, surrounded immediately by the team’s technician group, manually reversing the car into position for inspection and fluid replenishment, preparing for the upcoming Q2 qualifying.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiangbei stood in front of the monitor; five minutes remained in the first qualifying session. Theoretically, drivers could still complete two flying laps.

Of course, this is only theoretical; in reality, it’s difficult.

The track remains congested, and drivers in the elimination zone won’t miss the last chance with good track conditions. They’ll give it their all to push into Q2.

As for drivers outside the top ten, they must also push harder to prevent being knocked out.

The cars sped by, and the engine roar echoed throughout Albert Park.

What came next took Chen Xiangbei and Trulli by surprise.

Not only were drivers outside the top ten getting knocked out, but even the top spots were constantly shifting.

Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Schumacher — all four major teams’ eight drivers chose to push for another lap, with even drivers like Kubica, Kovalainen, and Sutil, who had past grudges, unwilling to yield.

As cars crossed the finish line, Chen Xiangbei’s ranking plummeted rapidly, surprisingly dropping to eleventh, with Trulli barely clinging to the edge of the top ten!

This exceeded Chen Xiangbei’s expectations. The "safe zone" command in qualifying is common, and mishaps are not rare either.

However, such surprises mostly occur around seventh or eighth place, a precarious position. It is a bit exaggerated for fifth to be eliminated indeed.

"What, feeling anxious?"

Seeing Chen Xiangbei’s grim expression, Briatore asked with a teasing smile.

"The word ’panic’ isn’t in my dictionary."

Chen Xiangbei responded strongly, refusing to show weakness against someone like Hua Bu.

"Hehe, well said."

"Kid, don’t worry, you won’t be eliminated. According to my experience, it’s the opponents who are getting anxious!"

Briatore’s tone shifted towards the end, no longer joking, sounding more like a fierce leader.

Chen Xiangbei’s speed put pressure on the paddock drivers, making them eager to eliminate the Chinese kid.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t do it!

"Indeed, the opponents are anxious."

Odetto coolly echoed, rarely agreeing publicly with Briatore.

Just as Hua Bu and Odetto predicted, Chen Xiangbei’s position did not fall further. He maintained the eleventh spot and smoothly advanced to Q2.

However, it was a wake-up call for Chen Xiangbei, indicating he needed to drive faster to advance to Q3 and fight for a better position; otherwise, elimination was a real risk.

After a short break, the second qualifying session commenced on time.

Compared to Q1’s rush-hour traffic jam scenes, Q2 saw only fifteen cars competing, significantly improving track conditions and providing better timing flexibility for teams.

Advancing to the second qualifying session means facing off against formidable foes.

Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull theoretically occupy eight advancing slots, leaving other drivers to fight for two remaining spots.

This includes Renault, the dying camel, as well as Sauber, Williams, and other old powerhouses.

For the HRT Team to advance both cars into Q3 again will be like snatching food from a tiger’s mouth!

But the internal competition stimulation and a desire to demonstrate toughness drove both Trulli and Chen Xiangbei to push to the limit.

This is the true essence of racing; only by risking life to challenge the limits of speed can the fastest laps and performance be achieved.

Fortune favors the brave. Trulli and Chen Xiangbei both advanced to Q3, placing eighth and ninth respectively.

Although Chen Xiangbei was behind Trulli again, the gap between them had narrowed to 0.1 seconds!

Witnessing Chen Xiangbei’s continuous speed improvements, Trulli didn’t quite know what to say. The Chinese kid seemed to evolve on the track constantly!

Meanwhile, the fans erupted in thunderous applause, his consecutive Q3 successes utterly dispelling doubts of "luck" or "coincidence," proving Chen Xiangbei’s absolute hard strength.

"Let’s congratulate the HRT Team for advancing both cars to Q3 once again. It’s hard to imagine they are a new team entering the paddock this year. Are they really going to recreate last year’s Brawn GP Team’s opportunity and challenge the status of major teams?"

"Especially the newcomer from China, Chen Xiangbei, who has made it into Q3 for two consecutive races, while constantly reducing the gap with his teammate, proving his growing control over the HRT’s upgrade kit."

"Rumor has it that the HRT upgrade kit hasn’t undergone complete wind tunnel testing, depending entirely on driver feedback for correction and adjustment. This implies that he, Xiangbei, has a tuning talent beyond the ordinary."

"Once Xiangbei said he could rival Kimi Raikkonen, which many, including myself, thought was a joke."

"Now I have a hunch, Xiangbei might really become the next Kimi Raikkonen!"