Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 325 Whoever steps on the brakes is a grandson

When local commentator Henry made this remark, it immediately resonated strongly with the Monaco and European audiences present.

A practice session time of 1 minute 12.997 seconds is absolutely phenomenal on the Monaco circuit; no matter how hard the Chinese driver pushes, he can't possibly surpass it.

If you're slow, you have to accept it; if you get hit, you have to stand up straight.

Rosberg is now going to demonstrate his dominance by running a high-speed lap, and "tractors" shouldn't be in his way!
You think you're worthy of a fight?
"Kill the Chinaman, Rosberg!"

"The humiliation of the past will be repaid today, FUCK rider North!"

"The eternal Princess of Monaco, don't give the North any chance, let him understand what it means to be on home ground."

"If driver Bei dares to block us, just ram him out of the way, just like he did before!"

A cacophony of cheers and shouts erupted as many eagerly awaited the scene of Chen Xiangbei being crushed.

Despite his performance throughout the season, Chen Xiangbei's number of haters and sarcastic remarks has decreased exponentially.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

Many people's deep-seated prejudices and racial discrimination cannot be eradicated, just as someone as great as Hamilton won seven championships, achieving a feat comparable to Schumacher's dominance of an era.

As always, all sorts of insults, including "nigger," continued to be heard.

When Chen Xiangbei performed well, this group of people couldn't find an opportunity to mock him, but today Rosberg provided the perfect opportunity.

And it's completely risk-free.

Almost everyone in the paddock believed that Chen Xiangbei could not surpass Rosberg's lap time, and therefore could not stop Rosberg's pursuit!

Whether it was the cheers of the audience that spurred Rosberg on, or whether he genuinely wanted to beat Chen Xiangbei and prove himself, he was no longer content with simply playing a cat-and-mouse game behind Chen Xiangbei as he accelerated wildly.

Instead, they wanted to overtake!

Overtaking on the Monaco circuit is already extremely difficult, let alone when both cars are at peak tire grip and lightly fueled. Even though Rosberg is faster and more familiar with the track layout, it's still a challenge.

Chen Xiangbei was only 0.3 seconds slower than him.

This speed difference is simply not enough for two equally speeding race cars to overtake each other!
"Team leader, Rosberg is getting a bit carried away. Should we try to stop him?"

Upon witnessing this, Mercedes' chief race engineer Nick Fry turned to Ross Brawn beside him and asked him a question.

He understood Rosberg's personality; the young man was essentially a sensitive, spoiled child who took himself too seriously in his early years, leading to many unpleasant behaviors, such as his tendency to ramble and his lack of emotional intelligence in his speech.

This situation changed after Rosberg retired. After transitioning to self-media and guest-hosting the paddock, he became more open-minded and able to accept jokes and self-deprecation.

Of course, that's all in the future; Rosberg's "princess syndrome" is still quite severe now.

"It's no use, he won't listen."

Rosberg's crew engineer, Cleary, shook his head.

Compared to Frye, Cleary understood Rosberg's character better, and he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

"But that's dangerous."

"The paddock is dangerous at any time; he just wanted to prove himself."

"It's not just targeting driver North."

Cleary said something meaningful.

From the outside perspective, Rosberg's actions were seen as revenge against Chen Xiangbei.

In fact, Cleary knew very well that if Hamilton or Vettel were in the lead, Rosberg would have done the same thing.

What he really wanted to express was to use the extremely challenging Monaco track to prove that he was no less capable than his father, world champion Coco Rosberg!
The shadow of his father's fame, coupled with the success of his peer Hamilton, actually put Rosberg under tremendous pressure. As the younger German, Vettel, rose to prominence, the outside world began to question and ridicule him more and more.

The controversy reached its peak when Chen Xiangbei entered the paddock and knocked Rosberg off the track.

Today is the day to respond to everything!
The two race cars were engaged in an extremely fierce battle on the track, a battle so intense that it could be described as a stalemate. The more aggressive Rosberg's attacks became, the more resolute Chen Xiangbei's defense became.

The close-quarters combat resulted in incredibly close following distances, with many instances appearing as if they were about to collide, yet narrowly missing each other by mere millimeters.

In this situation, lap time is no longer the primary concern; the competitive spirit driven by youth takes precedence.

"Oh my god, is Bei driving aggressively?"

Briatore, who was in the HRT team's pit lane, seemed to take a liking to this scene and immediately stood next to Odette.

"Tsk tsk, it's rare to see a Chinese kid lose his temper."

Compared to Mercedes' concerns, Briatore seemed to be enjoying the spectacle.

Chen Xiangbei's emotions have been too stable for the past year, to the point that Briatore even suspected that the kid might be turning into a racing machine. But now it seems he's still normal.

After all, if young people aren't spirited, what kind of young people are they?
"Team leader, should we issue the order to enter the station?"

Hiroki Sawano also asked Odeto a question.

Although the HRT fleet is no longer troubled by the number of spare parts, the vehicles can be repaired, but the safety of the people cannot be guaranteed.

"No need, let Bei get used to the rhythm of the game in advance."

Odette's tone was calm, almost as relaxed as Briatore's.

The reason they didn't take it seriously was that while the Monaco circuit was extremely difficult, it wasn't necessarily dangerous.

It could even be said that the Monaco circuit is one of the "safest" F1 circuits.

Many people may not understand why the Monaco Circuit, where car accidents frequently occur, is relatively safe.
The reason is that it's slow!
Whether you crash into a wall at 300 km/h or 100 km/h, it's still a car accident, but the consequences are completely different.

Although F1 cars of this era did not yet use the HALO system, which is the T-shaped roll cage in front of the cockpit, commonly known as flip-flops or thongs.

However, the unibody structure and the HANS shoulder and neck protection system mean that, barring particularly unfortunate circumstances, it should be able to withstand impacts at speeds of around 100 kilometers per hour without major problems.

Furthermore, there have never been any fatal accidents involving drivers in the history of the Monaco circuit.

This is why Odeto chose to give Chen Xiangbei a high-intensity workout without discussing any risks at all.

If a professional driver can't even handle the risks of the Monaco circuit, then he shouldn't be racing in F1; he should go home and drive for Didi (a ride-hailing service). Soon, the two cars reached the downhill section of Turn 10, the highest speed point on the Monaco circuit, and also the site where Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu made a last-minute save in the 22 season.

As the only relatively easy overtaking point on the Monaco circuit, Rosberg did not hesitate to take off here. He stepped on the accelerator hard, and the Mercedes "Silver Arrow" car suddenly accelerated and turned around.

Chen Xiangbei was prepared for Rosberg's overtaking maneuver. Just as he was about to change lanes to block Rosberg, he did not expect that Rosberg would be so determined, like a lone wolf pouncing straight at the apex of the bend!
It's important to know that the T11 and T12 combination bends ahead are an arc-shaped bend that is close to a short C. To put it simply, you can think of it as the curvature of an overpass ramp. Even with the amazing mechanical grip of an F1 car, it can't withstand cornering at speeds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour.

Rosberg's maneuver was a classic torpedo-style cornering maneuver: he plunged straight into the apex of the corner and then slowed down to the outside to cushion the impact, constantly squeezing the space of drivers who were following the normal racing line, forcing them to slow down and give way by pushing them off the track.

If neither side yields, there is a very high probability that they will collide.

At that speed, Rosberg's steering mechanism was no longer able to help him turn the car around, a phenomenon commonly known as understeer in corners.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei was very familiar with the word "torpedo," and he had even done similar operations himself, but he had never encountered such a standard behavior in his professional career.

The reason is simple: Chen Xiangbei usually starts from the middle to upper range, where he faces top-level competitors in the paddock. Several well-known "torpedo offenders" in the racing world can't even touch him.

Other front-row drivers such as Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Massa, and Webber all possess top-level handling skills that allow them to "dance on the edge of a knife," and they all know when to stop.

This time, Rosberg took an unconventional approach, and it's unclear whether he was planning to use Rosberg's own methods against him.

Or perhaps there simply weren't many overtaking opportunities at the Monaco circuit, leaving them with no choice but to take this gamble, hoping that Chen Xiangbei wouldn't push too hard in practice.

Just like the old saying goes, the ultimate showdown in F1 racing has actually transcended driving skills and is more of a psychological battle.

If Chen Xiangbei withdraws, then Rosberg will gain the psychological advantage.

This psychological advantage can be applied not only in practice matches, but also in the main competition on weekends!
Just like Chen Xiangbei's battle with Vettel at the Korean Grand Prix, which indirectly affected the entire subsequent match and established a psychological advantage for him.

Both of them knew this in their hearts, so naturally neither of them would back down.

As a result, the two race cars rushed into T11 at a speed far exceeding normal cornering speeds. Upon seeing this, both the HRT team and the Mercedes team's crew members showed a hint of seriousness on their faces.

They have realized that the situation is spiraling out of control.

"The North and Rosberg are already side by side, but the width of the Monaco circuit is simply not wide enough to support two cars going through the corners."

"Whether North will continue its aggressive lane-changing and close the gate, or Rosberg will make a strong overtake, the suspense is about to be revealed."

"I already had a bad feeling about this!"

Reid described the situation on the track at top speed, saying that Rosberg was really too aggressive, almost never slowing down when cornering.

To be honest, on a low-speed corner like Monaco, even if Chen Xiangbei didn't try to stop him, there's a high probability that he would go off the track at his current speed, completely exceeding the limits of tire grip!

However, the Chinese kid responded just as firmly, not wanting to give Rosberg any chance to overtake, even though there was a very high probability that Rosberg would rush out and crash into the wall.

But what if they didn't manage to break through?
There is an old Chinese saying: "It's not the ten thousand that's scary, but the one in ten thousand."

To gamble on probability is itself a sign of cowardice.

Chen Xiangbei could not be stopped, and he could confront him head-on, but he would never allow himself to back down.

Fear will make you lose for life!

When the two race cars arrived at the entrance to Turn 11 at high speed, not only was Rosberg unable to turn, but Chen Xiangbei was also unable to.

Both of them chose the "watermelon cutting" method without even taking the C-turn, and instead rushed directly into the track's deceleration buffer zone, creating a D-shaped line.

Even so, the entrance to Turn 12 still cannot accommodate two race cars.

The expected scene unfolded: Rosberg's right front wheel collided directly with Chen Xiangbei's left front wheel. There was no "golden left front wheel" as rumored, and besides, Chen Xiangbei wasn't driving Hamilton's Mercedes.

Of course, Rosberg is not one of them either.

In an instant, the suspensions of the two race cars broke, and then the tilted bodies collided together, the locked tires belching thick black smoke, and debris was scattered all over the track.

"Oh my god, the two cars driven by driver North and Rosberg have still collided. The red flag is now in effect on the track. We can also see the crew members of the HRT and Mercedes teams rushing to the accident site as fast as they can."

"The race car was severely damaged, but the cockpit remains intact. Hopefully, the driver is alright."

With some concern, Reid described the scene of the accident through the broadcast camera.

"Rosberg's car was already in the lead, but North still closed the door recklessly. This behavior is simply criminal!"

Henry, the local Monaco commentator standing next to him, was furious.

Monaco finally has a home driver, and Rosberg's practice lap times are far ahead, so he might just create a miracle of winning the home championship.

In the end, all of this was ruined by Chen Xiangbei's dangerous actions!
To be honest, Reid did not agree with Henry's words. The two cars were basically side by side, and there was no such thing as forcibly closing the gate.

If one had to pinpoint responsibility, Reid believed Rosberg bore a greater share.

After all, without a good overtaking environment, one should not take such a risky action.

If you act as a "torpedo," does the opponent have to give way?

Is she having a princess syndrome attack, thinking everyone in the world is a "simp"?
The staff inside the paddock were very quick; they rushed over from the escape route almost immediately after the incident to check on the driver's condition and provide assistance.

Although the race car crash was severe, Chen Xiangbei and Rosberg actually suffered almost no injuries.

F1 cars are not afraid of ordinary crashes, skidding, or even going off the track.

What can truly cause serious injury to a driver are rollovers, side fractures, and fires.

The fact that the two race cars were close together actually created a balance of forces, preventing them from spinning or rolling over. Furthermore, the braking systems remained functional; at around 200 kilometers per hour, an F1 car could be described as coming to a complete stop with a single stomp.

The two drivers, pulled out of the cockpit by the staff, glared at each other with eyes full of hostility, clearly neither willing to back down.

The Mercedes and HRT crew members arrived shortly after, their expressions filled with uncontrollable rage, both believing the other was to blame for the accident.

"Shit, has the driver's youthful arrogance infected the team?"

"Could it be that HRT and Mercedes-Benz are planning another brawl around the paddock?"

Seeing this scene, Reid couldn't help but joke that the Monaco tournament had already turned into a bloodbath before it even started.

(End of this chapter)