Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 100 Top Professional Psychological Game (5K)

champion?

After hearing Odetto's answer, many reporters showed a playful smile on their faces.

They know that as team leaders, when faced with similar questions from reporters, they must give positive and confident answers.

It's impossible that when reporters asked what ranking the team's drivers could get, the team leader Odetto answered bluntly that he felt that Chen Xiangbei was not strong enough to achieve any results, and that he was just a leftover joining the competition to make up the numbers, right?

Putting aside the emotional intelligence issues of this kind of team leader, the team owner and investors will not allow him to undermine the morale of the drivers in this way. Who would dare to sign a talented and potential seedling in the future?

But it sounded funny when Odetto said that a Chinese driver won the championship.

If you exaggerate a little, everyone will understand. This is indeed a bit too much...

"Odeto, why do you think Bei can win the championship? He doesn't seem to have any outstanding results in karting competitions."

"What can karting results determine? Besides, Bei also won the championship in the karting competition!"

Odetto answered with full confidence, as he was naturally very familiar with the files of the team's drivers.

Doesn’t Chen Xiangbei still have a CKC championship title?

But the problem is, in the eyes of reporters, can a CKC champion, whose participating drivers and results are difficult to find, be considered a champion?

This interview was broadcast to the audience on site through the big screen at the track and the FM radio with a fixed frequency.

Many people also had a happy expression on their faces as if they were watching a comedy. After all, Odetto was a former F1 team leader, so it was understandable that he wanted to boost morale and driver confidence, but at least it had to be closer to reality.

If you say you want to win a podium, the audience will accept it.

They win championships all the time. Do you really think there are no European drivers?
"No wonder the Super Aguri team went bankrupt. It seems that team leader Odette is really not up to the task."

"Back then, the Japanese Aguri team just put some Asian drivers into the paddock, and their performance on the track was simply criminal!"

"Chinese drivers are still far behind Japanese drivers. I hope Kitano doesn't end up like Ide Ariharu, causing all sorts of accidents on the track."

“Let’s pray for the other drivers on the track!”

Various teasing and mocking remarks were heard one after another. Odette was indeed a little too confident in what he said.

Not to mention the audience, even Sho Mizutani, the team engineer, looked speechless after hearing it.

"Senior Zeye, the team leader is a bit exaggerated. Will it put pressure on Xiangbei-kun?"

The Japanese character is very similar to the Chinese in some aspects. They both tend to be introverted in appearance, but they are more tolerant, while the Chinese prefer moderation.

After all, Chen Xiangbei is only a 19-year-old boy, and this is his first time participating in a tournament in Europe. He may not be able to adapt to the flamboyant and extroverted tone of Europe, and any psychological pressure will affect his performance.

"It's okay. Xiang Beijun's mental strength is much stronger than you think."

Hiroki Sawano replied expressionlessly, "What's the big deal about making wild remarks before the game? Is this uncommon in competitive sports events?"

What's more, it wasn't Chen Xiangbei who said it himself, so the team leader must be full of absolute confidence.

Hiroki Sawano truly realized Chen Xiangbei's "big ambitions" when he took the initiative to seek cooperation with his senior Suzuki to form the Super Dream Racing Team!

This young Chinese teenager, who had just entered the entry-level Formula One race like Renault, was already thinking about training a competition team to enter F1. His ambition and intention were simply unparalleled.

Compared with Chen Xiangbei's true intentions, Odetto's pre-match remarks are nothing compared to them!

Of course, Hiroki Sawano would not make public the conversation that took place when the team was formed, and even Sho Mizutani was not in a position to tell anyone about it.

He only knew one thing, Chen Xiangbei would not be affected by such a small matter!

The interview with Odetto in the maintenance lane did not last long, and soon the reporters turned their attention to Magnussen of the Carlin team who arrived in the P room.

It's worth noting that the Carlin team is no less impressive than the renowned ART team in terms of the supply and development of F1 drivers. From its founding in 96 to its acquisition in 24, it trained over 29 F1 drivers across all levels of Formula One racing.

Among them are the famous four-time champion Vettel, Mercedes driver Russell, Toro Rosso's Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson, etc.

Magnussen is considered the favorite to win this year's championship, and with the support of the top team Carlin behind him, he will naturally attract more attention.

The reporters in the paddock asked Magnussen almost the same question. When the Danish driver said without hesitation that his goal was to win the championship, cheers and applause broke out in the paddock. No one thought there was any problem.

The difference between fame and background is fully demonstrated at this moment!

However, none of these things could affect Chen Xiangbei at all. He didn't even know about the interview in the maintenance channel.

Chen Xiangbei is now in the cockpit of the Renault racing car, completing the test of the buttons on the steering wheel, waiting for the moment of the qualifying elimination round.

At 25: PM, the race staff blew their whistle in the pit lane, signaling the complete clearing of the track. Renault organizers, FIA officials, media reporters, and race girls were all ordered to evacuate behind the fence.

Due to the British climate, the sky was still gray and the track temperature was chilly. Normally, to fully reach the operating temperature of the slick tires, the team still recommended running two laps.

The duration of the Renault European Cup qualifying session is half an hour, the same as the previous tour.

However, the participants this time were all veteran drivers. They were not in a hurry to drive out of the P room at all, and there was no queue in the maintenance lane.

Instead, he waited for the drivers of other teams to run two laps on the track before doing his own qualifying laps.

This involves the qualifying strategy game in Formula One racing, which is also a term that can often be heard in F1 events, called "timing to leave the pit"!
Many people may not understand that qualifying only lasts thirty minutes, so of course the earlier you get on the track the better.

On the one hand, running a few more laps can warm up your hands.

On the other hand, if you are not in good shape and fail to perform well, there is still plenty of time to try again.

If you leave the pit late, your form may be affected or you may not be satisfied with your lap time, and you may not have enough time to push hard for another lap.

In fact, the "timing of leaving the pit" in Formula One racing is far from as simple as imagined.

Formula One cars require tire warm-up. To reach the optimal operating temperature, one or two laps of tire warm-up time will have to be wasted.

After F1 entered the hybrid era, there was an additional "cooling lap", which required the car battery to be charged for one lap before full power could be achieved in the next lap.

This principle is similar to the hybrid vehicles used by households in later generations. When the battery is out of power, it will become useless. The engine has to charge the battery to 80% or more to achieve the full power output of the vehicle.

With this set of operations, a driver would need to spend two or three laps to prepare for a full-out lap, and it would be impossible for him to go at full speed as he pleases.

Someone might ask at this point, since it takes several laps to prepare, doesn't that just prove that the earlier you leave the pits, the better. Perhaps you can "prepare" for two or three laps, giving yourself two or three more laps.

In theory, this is true, but in practice, it is not...

The qualifying race is full power, desperately challenging the limits of the car and the track, which puts enormous pressure on the tires.

Often, a new set of tires can only withstand one full-speed sprint. If you want to run another lap, you have to stop and change tires, which will waste at least dozens of seconds.

In addition, refueling is not allowed in qualifying, which means you have to plan how many laps you can run in advance. Otherwise, if you use too much fuel and fail the post-race weigh-in, your qualifying results will be invalidated.

If you want to try more laps, it means you have to carry more fuel, and the vehicle will be much heavier and you won’t be able to run the fastest lap time.

If a driver wants to use less fuel and bet on the limit of the post-race weigh-in, then he may only have one chance to have a flying lap, and if he fails, he will die!

Finally, there is one extremely important point, that is, when the car is driving, the rubber particles of the hot melt tire will continue to fall on the track, and its viscosity and grip are far stronger than asphalt.

Competitions around the world that specialize in testing vehicle acceleration performance do not use ordinary asphalt tracks. They use rubber tracks to obtain the strongest grip.

This means that over time, there will be more rubber on the track and more grip.

The cars that leave the station later have the opportunity to take advantage of the gap and run a faster lap time than the cars that leave the station earlier by virtue of their grip advantage!
This is why, when watching F1 races, you will feel that some teams are so stupid that they are unwilling to let the drivers come out early in qualifying, and they force the drivers to do flying laps only when the time is almost up.

As a result of improper operation or accidents, the driver has not completed the flying lap by the time the deadline comes, and he has no result and ranks last!
The problem is that some smaller teams, whose engineers know their cars aren't up to snuff and won't produce good results under normal circumstances, simply take a gamble, taking advantage of the peak grip near the end to see if they can achieve an exceptional lap time. If they win, they're considered impressive, even if they're driving a tractor.

If you lose the bet, you will lose the sand dollar. The F1 team can't even calculate the timing of leaving the pit!
Renault racing cars are standard-issue cars, so there will be no performance differences, so there is naturally no need to be a gambler.

However, the difference in track conditions still exists, and starting later will theoretically be an advantage.

"Odeto, are you leaving the station?"

Seeing that five minutes had passed in the qualifying session and seven or eight teams had already chosen to leave the station and start, Chen Xiangbei couldn't help but ask a question.

To be honest, he could understand why the F1 team was so careful about the timing of leaving the pit.

After all, it is a showdown between the 20 strongest drivers in the world, and a slight difference in lap time may result in a huge difference in results.

You must play the tactical and psychological game to the extreme in order to defeat the strong with the weak and create impossible miracles.

But at this level of Renault racing, Chen Xiangbei doesn't think he will be eliminated. The minimum guarantee is to enter the top ten, so it seems unnecessary.

"hold on."

Odetto folded his hands over his chest, fixed his eyes on the wall-mounted surveillance screen, and replied in a very flat tone.

"There are more and more cars on the track. If we delay any further, the traffic situation will be very congested."

Chen Xiangbei isn't worried about subtle differences in grip; he's more concerned with the number of cars on the track.

Seven or eight teams have already released more than a dozen cars, which means that when Chen Xiangbei is running on the track, there is a chance that he will encounter an opponent blocking his way every few hundred meters.

It's better if the opponent is doing a flying lap, perhaps he can use the slipstream to speed up. But if the opponent is doing a warm-up lap and occupies the driving lane, changing lanes to avoid him will be very troublesome for Chen Xiangbei, and his lap time will be greatly reduced.

Similar situations are common in F1 races. In almost every qualifying race, there will be several cars blocking the way, and then the drivers will greet each other frantically in the TR.

The Renault Eurocup has 1 cars, which means the chance of encountering obstacles is higher than in F.

By then, the track will be as congested as the rush hour, so how can we set the fastest lap time on the Flying Lap?
"Wouldn't it be congested if you left the station and went onto the track now?"

Odetto casually asked back, there are 30 cars on the grid. Even if you leave the pit immediately after qualifying starts, you will still find the track full of cars after the tire warm-up is completed.

For junior formula racing, there is never a so-called best time to leave the pit; it all depends on the driver's on-the-spot performance!

Odetto then added, "And Bei, I've only given you enough fuel for two laps. If you leave the pits now, the remaining fuel won't pass the post-race monitoring."

After hearing what Odeto said, Chen Xiangbei didn't react much. However, Sawano Hiroki beside him turned his head and looked at him with surprise.
As a rookie Chinese driver, it was his first time to run the first race at the Silverstone Circuit. He had only experienced one track practice before, and as a result, he only prepared enough fuel for two laps.

Team leader Odetto trusts Chen Xiangbei so much that he doesn't even give him the chance to make a pit stop and adjust his condition?
"Leader, isn't this a bit too risky?"

【adventure?】

Facing Hiroki Sawano's question, Odeto laughed.

"How can we improve our lap times and fight for pole position without taking risks with less fuel?"

"What's more, I've already announced to the media that Beicheng will be the first-ever champion of the Renault European Cup, and starting from pole position will give him an absolute advantage!"

"Odeto, you really think highly of me..."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a helpless smile, this old man has already booked the pole position and the championship before the race even started. He is even more confident than the driver himself.

"NO, NO, NO, Bei, you made a mistake."

Odetto shook his head and explained, "F1 is a commercial sport. Drivers have to consider not only absolute performance but also commercial value and profits."

"A driver who lacks gimmicks and topics will become an invisible person in the paddock, and no sponsors or advertisers will like him."

"Pre-race hype and publicity are also part of increasing a driver's commercial value."

"Bei, remember, you have to show off your personality. The Chinese way of keeping a low profile is not suitable for the paddock!"

Odetto is a veteran who has been immersed in the field of formula for decades. He knows very well what is needed to compete for an F1 seat. In many cases, the commercial value is not inferior to the driver's strength.

Making a bold statement about winning the championship will directly trigger post-match public opinion.

Even if he didn't win the championship, the worst that could happen was that he would be ridiculed by everyone, but at least the audience would remember that there was such a boastful Chinese driver.

On the contrary, it is low-key and mediocre. After a game, not only will it not be remembered by the audience, there may not even be many TV broadcast shots. The sponsors' advertising money is equivalent to being wasted. Will others be suckers in the future?
To use a phrase from later generations on the Internet, being black and red is also red, which is far better than having no traffic and being unknown!
Of course, if you want to clear your name in the end, you have to rely on your performance.

Just as Odetto was promoting the concept of "hype", thunderous cheers came from the direction of the audience, directly drowning out the roar of the racing car's engine.

A row of red numbers appeared on the track broadcast screen, indicating the current fastest lap time.

1 minutes 58 seconds 593!

Almost at the same time, the lap time number was pushed to the track monitoring screen in the Chaomeng P room through streaming.

In an instant, the team members fell silent, with serious expressions on their faces.

They never expected that after only ten minutes of qualifying, the lap time had already broken into 1 minute and 59 seconds, which was only 0.1 seconds away from Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap in practice!
If this trend continues, Chen Xiangbei's fastest practice lap will inevitably be surpassed.

To be honest, the team members all knew that with Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time of 1 minute 58 seconds, it was impossible for him to get the pole position directly in the qualifying round.

But they didn't expect that this moment would come so soon!
You must know that as time goes by, the track grip improves, and under the stimulation of opponents catching up, the qualifying lap time will continue to be refreshed.

Maybe in the end there will be a lap that is 0.5 seconds faster than Chen Xiangbei.

The gap is 0.1 or 0.2 seconds, and Chen Xiangbei has a great chance of surpassing it if he tries hard.

Reaching the level of 0.5 seconds is equivalent to raising the bar to a higher level, and it is extremely difficult to surpass it and get the pole position.

It seems that the strength of the drivers participating in this Renault European Cup is really strong.

"Mizutani, who achieved this lap time?"

Odeto immediately turned around and asked Mizutani Sho who was at the control console.

"Da Costa of the Manor team."

Chen Xiangbei is also familiar with this name. Although this driver has never entered F1, he won the 20th FE Electric Formula Championship and became a teammate of Vergne.

Sometimes we have to admit that there are many hidden talents in the European racing region. In the Renault Junior Formula alone, there is a mid-level F1 driver and two FE world champions. Asian racing is simply incomparable!

Before the members of the Super Dream Team in the P room could come to their senses, the lap records on the big screen of the track were broken one after another.

Just a few minutes later, Magnussen of the Carlin team took the top spot, running 1 minute 58 seconds, surpassing Chen Xiangbei by 066 seconds.

"I don't think we can hold onto 1:58, so we're bound to go into 1:57."

Hiroki Sawano muttered to himself. He initially thought that Chen Xiangbei's practice lap time would at least allow him to make it into the top ten in qualifying.

Now it seems that I really can’t guarantee it, the strength shown by the opponent is too strong!
It was not until this moment that Odetto's expression finally showed a hint of seriousness.

He said, "Bei, now you know why I only gave you fuel for two laps."

"If you can't beat your opponent even with a light car, then pitting and running again won't help."

"Give it your 100% to win this opportunity!"

(End of this chapter)