Car Racing without Money-Chapter 581 - 228: The Black Phantom on the Track

"Splendid!"

"I simply can’t find the right words to describe Xiangbei’s overtaking; the moves are extremely sharp and fast, a definite all-or-nothing resolve."

"Riding the curb to widen the corner, accelerating a second time within the turn, precisely finding the apex, etc.—each operation is not at a standard a rookie can reach, not to mention his opponent is Masa from the Ferrari Team!"

"Could it be that Driver Xiangbei is really going to reach the podium?"

Red quickly narrated the overtaking scene, his tone filled with amazement and passion.

He originally thought Chen Xiangbei could catch up to Masa purely relying on the yellow flag slowdown caused by the track accident.

Now it seems he underestimated the rookie from China!

Driver Xiangbei is not just fast; both the initial "pendulum" car save and the incredibly precise curb overtaking are far beyond the level a rookie should possess.

It’s not only about technical factors but also mindset and experience.

The timing was captured so expertly that Masa seemed utterly powerless to resist!

"Masa, what exactly happened that you got overtaken by rookie Xiangbei?"

The voice from the Ferrari Team sounded in the earphones, surprising in tone and carrying a hint of "accusation."

Normally, when a team’s driver is overtaken, the management at most beats their chest and stamps their feet in the pit box, not openly questioning through radio communication, which is meaningless except to mess up the driver’s mindset.

But the situation now is abnormal!

The Ferrari strategy team can’t understand why Masa was overtaken by a track rookie in two laps during a rain battle.

Even though Masa is famously a "landlubber," his difficulty with rain battles is only relative to historically legendary GOTA drivers.

It’s not shameful to be unable to compare to Senna or Schumacher!

Just like an F1 driver’s level is only compared against the world’s top twenty.

In other professional races, even the greenest Ino Yuji would crush the competition like a dimensional-reduced blitz.

Yet Masa got overtaken...

This is as absurd as Senna being overtaken by Masa in a rain battle!

"I..."

Masa pressed the communication button on the steering wheel, instinctively wanting to explain something.

After uttering the word "I," he couldn’t continue speaking; he could only silently let go of the button.

Defeat renders any explanation powerless.

Moreover, even Masa himself doesn’t understand how he lost!

Keep in mind that compared to the asphalt, the curb is already slippery, and further soaked by rain, there’s almost no grip at all.

In such a situation, completing an overtaking maneuver using the curb requires incredibly precise alignment of the tires and curb center point, relying on the car’s own weight and aerodynamic downforce to prevent tire slippage.

To achieve this standard, centimeter-level control is necessary.

Not some dictionary-thick ten centimeters—only one centimeter of this kind of centimeter-level!

No slipping, no losing control; Chen Xiangbei just managed it.

Even if Masa asked himself the same question, he wouldn’t have over a fifty percent chance of success running it ten times.

Did the rookie from China just gamble on that fifty percent probability and win?

Listening to Masa’s abrupt silence, his race engineer Smedley wanted to continue probing.

The team leader Domenicali shut off the team communication and shook his head at Smedley.

Rushing won’t help. To understand what truly happened, they must at least wait until the race ends.

In fact, in a way, the Ferrari Team management already knows the answer; they just aren’t ready to accept it yet.

"Wow, Chen Xiangbei, you took down Masa!"

"The towering Ferrari Team can’t outperform HRT now?"

"Rain battles are the sole standard to test a driver’s true strength; Driver Xiangbei will become the strongest rookie this year, indisputably!"

"Xiangbei, I saw Senna’s madness back in the day, and today I witness the speed of a Chinese rookie!"

The live audience has gone mad; this is not just about Chinese fans but over half of the fans from Europe and Australia, changing tune and cheering with all kinds of applause and cheers.

If there was a possibility of capital maneuver when Chen Xiangbei "skipped classes" to enter the F1 paddock,

then now, having chased Masa twice in succession and ultimately completed an overtaking maneuver in a rain battle, he has shown real driving skill and talent.

The tag "genius driver" is common in the F1 paddock; anyone who managed to secure an official driver seat at some point bore the title of a genius youngster.

At this moment, the F1 paddock is bound to welcome a genius driver from China!

Sitting at the outdoor command post, Sawano Hiroyuki, listening to the cheers for Chen Xiangbei, told Odetto with excitement: "Leader, did you see it? This is the strength of Xiangbei in a rain battle."

Faced with Sawano Hiroyuki’s words, Odetto momentarily didn’t know how to respond.

At this moment, surprise outweighs joy.

Odetto, once the leader of the Super Aguri Team, has long interacted with Japanese engineers; he knows this group is relatively conservative and practical, or in another way, career-hierarchy strict, not daring to speak nonsense to their superiors.

As a result, when Sawano Hiroyuki said "showtime," Odetto felt more skeptical.

Now he understands, Sawano Hiroyuki wasn’t exaggerating at all.

No wonder from the practice race onward, Chen Xiangbei had been anticipating the rain battle; this guy’s aggressive extreme operation really faintly resembles young Senna.