Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 323 You Must Make a Choice
"The first practice session is about to end, and most of the drivers have returned to the pits. Only HRT driver Bei is still on the track. Based on my understanding of him, he probably wants to push for another lap."

Reid turned his attention to Chen Xiangbei on the track. After nearly a season of commentary, he believed he had a basic understanding of the young Chinese driver's personality. Rosberg's amazing practice lap times had undoubtedly stimulated driver Bei's competitive spirit.

He wanted to push the wheel another lap to be faster than his opponent!

In fact, Red was only half right. Chen Xiangbei did need to push for another lap, but the reason was not his competitive spirit, but the team's instructions.

Of course, objectively speaking, Chen Xiangbei also needs smooth traffic on the track to test whether he can use his driving skills to reverse the characteristics of the track.

HRT team's car number 13 sped along, and all the strategy team members stared intently at the monitor screen, except for Odette, who unconsciously frowned.

Chen Xiangbei's lap time showed improvement in each time segment, but the problem was that the improvement was not as significant as expected; it was more like a normal acceleration brought about by good track traffic conditions.

"Team leader, there's not much of a problem with Bei's line, but the car setup is too conflicted with the track characteristics. You can clearly see him constantly correcting the steering wheel in the corners."

"The faster the car goes, the more the rear of the car swings, and the more corrections are needed and the greater the impact on lap time."

Hiroki Sawano keenly noticed the problem: the cornering corrections were too frequent, indicating that the steering control was not precise enough.

F1 is arguably the world's most demanding racing series in terms of line control and smoothness of maneuvering, bar none!

Every tiny correction results in a 0.001-second slowdown, which accumulates to a difference of 0.01 to 0.1 seconds over the dozen or so turns of the track.

A thousandth of a second is enough to kill an opponent, let alone a hundredth of a second or a tenth of a second?
“You’re right, Bei is not suited to this track.”

Odeto nodded.

He asked Chen Xiangbei to push him around one more time, intending to push the kid harder and squeeze out his potential.

It now seems that it wasn't that Chen Xiangbei was afraid to push the limits, but rather that he couldn't control the track no matter how hard he tried.

Ultimately, the reason lies in the difficulty and unfamiliarity of Monaco.

No driver in history has ever won pole position or the championship in Monaco in their debut season.

Compared to young drivers who have traditionally progressed through the ranks and have experience in the Monaco Formula 1, as well as European drivers who are already familiar with the track environment, Chen Xiangbei was completely clueless.

All he can do is drive the racing simulator countless times.

Putting aside the fact that racing simulators in this era only achieve a 60-70% level of realism, compared to modern standard F1 tracks, traditional old tracks have two fatal simulation challenges: road conditions and gradients.

The road conditions are easy to understand; bumps and potholes are not a feature in racing simulators.

Many people don't understand the concept of slope. Theoretically, based on computer simulation performance, is it difficult to create an uphill or downhill slope?

In fact, it is really difficult!

In modern, newly built standard F1 circuits, the angle and length of each slope are planned in the blueprints by the designers long ago, and the data can be relatively easily simulated by computers.

However, the traditional streets where cars run every day are affected by various environmental factors, traffic flow, and even road construction every year. There is no uniform standard for the gradient, and drivers need to drive on the streets themselves to understand and remember it.

Even ordinary drivers know that on the same road, you should brake earlier when going downhill and accelerate a bit when going uphill.

If this were applied to the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1, where cornering requires 1 centimeter of contact with the barrier, even slight changes in braking speed due to undulations in the road could lead to a serious misjudgment of the turn.

To avoid crashing into a wall, you need to stay away from the wall or make continuous adjustments.

Chen Xiangbei is in this situation now. He wants to push his limits, but he can't achieve a smooth and precise running line.

If it's not corrected, it will be displayed on the wall; if it is corrected, it will slow down. There is no third option.

In fact, Zhou Guanyu, a Chinese driver in later generations, also encountered a similar situation at the Monaco circuit. He was a slow starter and chose the first option when faced with this difficult track that he was not familiar with.

That means keeping the wiring away from the wall to avoid collisions with vehicles.

The result was surprisingly slow; all three companies were eliminated in Q1, with two of them ranking last and one ranking second to last.

It is often difficult for drivers to master every track. Some tracks are inherently difficult to drive well on, while others are simply incompatible with the characteristics of the car.

For example, Williams' muscle cars in later generations were known for being kings on straightaways but doomed in corners.

The high-speed track dominates, while the low-speed track is just a sidewalk.

To some extent, HRT racing cars also belong to the muscle car category, with various aerodynamic kits developed for high-speed track performance, just not as extreme as the Williams team of later generations.

The short lap time passed quickly, and the track's large broadcast screen showed Chen Xiangbei's final lap time in real time.

1 minutes 13 seconds 885.

When this number was announced, it immediately sparked considerable controversy among the audience.

"Did North push on the last lap? How could he be a mere second slower than Rosberg?"

"This lap time in practice isn't normal. They've already climbed to third place in the North Practice session. Does that mean Vettel, Hamilton, and the others are also rookies?"

"The problem is that Red Bull and McLaren didn't push. It's obvious that they pushed on the last lap of the North.

Whether or not it was pushed depends on the situation; don't draw conclusions based on practice match results!

Many viewers realized that Chen Xiangbei stayed on the track because he wanted to set a good lap time. But only Chen Xiangbei himself and the HRT team knew exactly how much of his effort he used.

Therefore, those who wanted to mock others were afraid of being proven wrong and dared not do so.

Those who want to boast are also afraid of being proven wrong and dare not boast.

The only remaining debate between the two sides was whether Chen Xiangbei actually pushed it or not...

However, the atmosphere in the HRT team's pit room was rather tense. The strategy team members knew very well that after Odeto gave the instructions, Chen Xiangbei had at least put in more than 90% of his effort on this lap, if not 100%.

They were very dissatisfied with their time of 1 minute 13.885 seconds.

Even if he improves in qualifying based on this lap time, he will most likely be eliminated in Q2.

As the clock stopped during the first practice session, Chen Xiangbei drove into the pit lane. Inside the pit lane, Odeto, Hiroki Sawano, and others had already begun studying the vehicle's video recorder in preparation for the upcoming second practice session.

"Bei, you probably need to reconsider the tuning plan."

The first thing Odeto said to Chen Xiangbei as he walked in was about the tuning plan.

Before Chen Xiangbei could answer, Odeto pointed to the in-car video on the screen and added, "Monaco places great emphasis on rhythm and smoothness. It's never about taking each corner one by one, but rather about treating it as a whole."

"The exit from each corner will determine the entry into the next corner. You must find a smooth rhythm, and there cannot be any interruptions throughout the process."

It's important to know that Odeto rarely gives drivers driving advice. In his words, F1 drivers have already reached the top of the control pyramid, and no one is qualified to teach F1 drivers how to drive.

The reason he said all this today is twofold. Firstly, he wanted to use a serious approach to make Chen Xiangbei realize that there's a trade-off between adapting to himself and adapting to the track. Secondly, if the HRT team wants to contend for the championship, they need to win both of the final two races!
For Odette or HRT teams, winning the championship was more of a slogan and a goal, so Chen Xiangbei's entry into the championship race was naturally a cause for celebration.

If it's really impossible, the team can accept it as long as the results are acceptable.

At least from the beginning, no one had the standard of a world champion for Chen Xiangbei.

To put it even more bluntly, a Chinese driver's success is simply reaching the podium in their rookie season!

The situation is completely different now. Competing for the championship is no longer a goal or a slogan, but a real and attainable honor.

The desire to win isn't just something drivers have; team leaders and team management also have it.

Odette hopes to witness the drivers he has nurtured stand at the top of the racing pyramid and sit on that throne that looks down on all others!

"I see."

Chen Xiangbei nodded.

He knew he was struggling with his stitching, lacking the smooth, flowing quality he usually displayed.

"In addition, steering must be decisive, smooth and precise. Any stiff or unnecessary movements will disrupt the vehicle's balance, resulting in time loss or a crash."

"The oversteering, high downforce setup caused the car to slide more frequently, making it unable to adapt to the characteristics of the Monaco circuit."

"Bei, you need to think about how to find a balance."

Odeto phrased it rather tactfully, meaning that Chen Xiangbei's overly familiar driving style, which he relied on, wouldn't work on the Monaco circuit, and he had to find a way to correct it.

Chen Xiangbei did not compromise in the face of Odeto's suggestion.

After a moment of silence, he said, "I think the current tuning is fine. The oversteer is a good match for the Monaco circuit, and its potential is higher than that of traditional understeer with extremely high downforce."

What's the point of having an uncontrollable ceiling?

Odeto’s tone became serious, but Chen Xiangbei hadn’t yet realized that time was running out.

The second and third training sessions combined only take two hours. How can you possibly master them?
If it were in other tracks, the qualifying time would be slightly worse, but in the race there would still be a chance to overtake and turn the tide.

There is no Monaco circuit!
This is a track where qualifying is more important than the race itself. Starting from pole position or the front row almost guarantees a win, and every driver will give it their all in qualifying.

Two short hours meant that Chen Xiangbei had no room or resources to make mistakes.

Watching Odette and Chen Xiangbei's "dispute," the rest of the team's strategy group remained silent.

Perez and Trulli both had complex expressions in their eyes.

People in the paddock often say that Chen Xiangbei is emotionally stable, but in fact, Odette, the old Italian man, is even more emotionally stable. It is extremely rare to see him "get angry," let alone now that he is clearly a little anxious.

There is a big difference between "anxiety" and "anger". The former represents more concern and attention.

"I can."

Chen Xiangbei did not argue, but simply uttered those three words firmly.

When faced with an extremely difficult track, the importance of confidence is self-evident, especially for an F1 driver. You may not believe in anything else, but you must believe in yourself and the car you are driving.

The essence of the word "driver" is the combination of car and driver!
The two stared at each other, and the air in the room seemed to freeze.

After a moment, Odeto finally spoke: "Use the second training session to prove you right."

Without a doubt, this was Odeto's compromise.

"it is good."

After saying this, Chen Xiangbei immediately turned around and walked towards his race car, addressing Liang Chi and the other maintenance technicians.

“Raising the car chassis by another 5 millimeters is necessary because the bottom of the car is scraping on some sections of the track, which affects the choice of cornering lines.”

"The gearbox gear ratios are more closely spaced, abandoning the consideration for the seventh gear, and the power output is more biased towards the response of the lower gears."

"The track is too narrow, and many sections require you to fully utilize the curbs when cornering. The suspension travel can be softened a bit to absorb vibrations and increase mechanical downforce."

"Moreover……"

Chen Xiangbei recounted the track feedback point by point, explaining that he had also made compromises in terms of mechanical structure, not fully adhering to his previous settings.

Upon seeing this, Odette's expression softened considerably.

This proves at least one thing: Chen Xiangbei's persistence is not simply the stubbornness of a young man; he is indeed thinking about how to control the track, but he has chosen a different direction than himself.

"Odette, were you this worried when you were with Schumacher's strategy team?"

A teasing voice rang out from behind. Briatore had clearly noticed Odette's change and couldn't help but taunt his old rival.

"You should first confirm Perez and Trulli's seats before worrying about Schumacher."

Odeto retorted just as bluntly.

Now, with Trulli's return, Perez and Trulli are in an awkward situation. The two are somewhat unnatural at this stand, to the point that they speak much less.

According to F1's official announcement schedule, the signing of drivers for the next season will be announced as early as the end of the summer break, and the latest will be around October.

HRT team has yet to decide who will be the team's official driver for the next season.

Outsiders might have thought he was facing a difficult choice, with both drivers having their strengths and weaknesses. In reality, Briatore was holding out for the best offer, deliberately delaying the signing to put pressure on the driver and try to squeeze out as much sponsorship money as possible.

Odeto despised this tactic, but although he was nominally the team leader, he did not actually have the decision-making power over the drivers. As early as when he invited Briatore, the old Italian rogue emphasized that he wanted to have full control of the team.

"hehe."

Briatore, of course, sensed the sarcasm in Odette's tone, gave a cold laugh, and said no more.

On the other side, Chen Xiangbei had finished tuning the race car, put on his helmet again, and sat in the cockpit. His eyes were fixed on the starting indicator light above him, and there was no tense expression on his face. On the contrary, he was a little impatient.

The reason is simple: the more dangerous, the more fascinating!

That feeling of teetering on the edge of losing control causes a surge of adrenaline, bringing a sense of stimulation and excitement.

Regardless of the results, Chen Xiangbei enjoys the feeling of challenging himself. Only when danger is omnipresent can one experience the original speed and passion of motorsports, rather than completing a "mission" like an emotionless racing machine.

That's why Monaco is known as the crown jewel of motorsport.

(End of this chapter)