Car Racing without Money-Chapter 377 - 158: You Really Picked the Wrong Opponent

Chapter 377: Chapter 158: You Really Picked the Wrong Opponent

Just like if the King of Cars Schumacher were conscious, and given the chance to choose again.

Chen Xiangbei believes he would never want to lie on a sickbed for decades in a daze. Instead, he would choose to race to heaven and compete with God at his most glorious moment as a seven-time champion.

When Chen Xiangbei walked out of the office, Dong Hebin wanted to step forward to inquire about the result, but saw the other merely shake his head slightly.

There was no need to say more about the answer.

As for Blair and Prost, their expressions were somewhat complicated.

To be honest, from their perspective, a team of the "Big Three" caliber like Renault offering a contract for a third driver and promising to seek a full-time driver seat is definitely very favorable to a newcomer.

But the Chinese Kid rejected it without hesitation.

"Blair, in this newcomer, I seem to see the shadows of Senna from before."

"Equally filled with sharpness and fearlessness!"

Prost and Senna were like water and fire within the paddock, but outside it, they "cherish each other".

At Senna’s funeral, Prost was one of the pallbearers; after a lifetime of rivalry, it’s hard to find another match.

On the other side, Chen Xiangbei returned to the Campos Team’s pit room, and Odetto just glanced at him before saying blandly: "The negotiations fell through?"

"You predicted it?"

"Of course, the big teams all have a ’disease’."

Odetto had experienced Ferrari’s glorious times and watched as the iron triangle disbanded and the great house collapsed.

He knows very well that the more deep-rooted the big teams are, the more their thinking and system are filled with rigidity, with interests deeply intertwined, making it difficult to make all-or-nothing decisions.

Chen Xiangbei’s goal was clear, which was a full-time driver seat next year.

But as a "Big Three", Renault would never possibly offer a Chinese driver a full-time driver seat for next year.

From the beginning, the negotiation had no chance of succeeding.

That’s why Odetto’s attitude was very calm from start to finish.

A deal destined to fail, what’s there to pay much attention to?

"The second round of the main race is about to start, get ready in the car."

Without dwelling too much on the driver seat, Odetto shifted the conversation to the race.

The real target that Chen Xiangbei should aim for is the mid to lower field smaller teams in the paddock. They are the real cradle for newcomers.

Especially teams like Sauber, which over the years can be completely considered as the "Whampoa Military Academy" for drivers.

Masa, Raikkonen, Vettel, Leclerc, Zhou Guanyu, and so on.

These well-known F1 drivers all started their careers from Sauber.

Big teams seek "stability", while small teams need to "gamble".

As the time for the second round of the main race approached, all the cars rolled out of the pit and stopped at the starting grid on the main track to prepare.

Due to the reverse grid rule, Chen Xiangbei, who won the first round of the main race, would be starting in tenth position this time.

Then it follows that the driver who came tenth in the last race is now on pole position.

As for those behind Chen Xiangbei, they are the eleventh to twentieth from the last race, starting in the usual order.

Although Chen Xiangbei was not on pole position, the audience knew he was the winner of the last race, and cheers roared as he appeared.

Even the reporters waiting for interviews on the track rushed to the middle starting positions, preparing to seize the opportunity for a pre-race interview.

This time, Sky Sports’ Hank gave no chance to his colleagues, leaning right onto Chen Xiangbei’s cockpit, with a microphone almost in his mouth!

"Bei, as the champion of the first round, do you have the confidence to win again in this reverse grid start?"

Looking at the familiar provocateur in front of him, Chen Xiangbei appeared very relaxed this time.

As if seeing an "old friend", he smiled and replied: "Do you think I would have no confidence?"

Having interacted so many times, both sides had come to understand each other somewhat.

Chen Xiangbei no longer needed to use grand words to express his confidence and attitude.

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei’s answer, a playful smile appeared on Hank’s lips.

The Chinese Kid now exudes a sense of "low-key arrogance".

Yet, familiar as they were, professional integrity couldn’t be abandoned, and instigator Hank would show no mercy.

"Bei, yesterday after the race I interviewed Raikkonen first thing. On your remarks that you believe you are stronger, his evaluation was only one word."

"What word?"

"NO."

The reason Raikkonen is nicknamed "Ice Man" is not only because he’s from the icy country of Finland but also due to his "man of few words" nature, often presenting a cold demeanor in front of cameras and the media.

Just a single word reply truly fits Raikkonen’s Ice Man image.

In response, Chen Xiangbei wasn’t upset or counterarguing; he simply replied calmly: "It doesn’t matter, I will soon face Raikkonen on the track, and by then, results and speed will prove who the stronger driver is."

This statement by Chen Xiangbei, projected through broadcast cameras onto the big screen on the track, immediately sparked a discussion among the audience.

"What does the Chinaman mean, does he really think he can challenge Kimi?"

"A genius champion on a triple jump, on track Chen Xiangbei can’t even see Raikkonen’s taillights!"

"Driver Bei isn’t worthy of being Kimi’s opponent; he’s the real genius!"

In terms of fan numbers, especially on European tracks, Chen Xiangbei can’t even match a fraction of Raikkonen’s.

Even without the fandom mindset of attacking the high and stooping the low, hearing a rookie claim to be better than a world champion naturally breeds dissatisfaction.