Car Racing without Money-Chapter 393 - 163: That Man Has Returned (10K)

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei was tempted!

Whether it’s the shares of the HRT Team or the performance of the TF110 prototype car, he has a desire to make a big gamble.

With experience from future eras, Chen Xiangbei knows better than anyone the importance of driver control and autonomy.

Not to mention the Hockenheim of this era, despite achieving a super rookie performance, was ruthlessly kicked out by the Williams Team.

Just like Zhou Guanyu’s annual contracts in later years, many times it’s a "precarious" torment.

The team keeps delaying the confirmation time for signing, playing psychological games with the driver, hoping to squeeze more sponsorship funds through extreme pressure.

The driver is uncertain if they can still race tomorrow, or if their career will end, making it difficult to perform well under anxiety, often falling into a vicious cycle.

Of course, one could say they lack strong psychological resilience and stress resistance.

There aren’t many drivers who can reach the standard of racing machines; most are still ordinary people.

Everyone desires a stable professional environment with room for trial and error and tolerance.

Furthermore, to some extent, Chen Xiangbei has a gambler’s nature in his bones, which is why he resolutely chose to make an ambitious move into the F1 Paddock without leaving a way out.

Unless Chen Xiangbei remembers incorrectly, after the Mercedes Team replaced Brawn GP, their new generation cars’ performance wasn’t good; it could even be described as a steep decline.

From the "Mars Rover" leading far ahead in the 09 season, it fell into the realm of earth cars, no longer securing a spot among the top three fast cars.

This is a common "pain period" when teams change ownership. Compared to Brawn GP, which was merely Honda with a change of skin, it remained the original team at its core.

Mercedes, however, completely replaced the Honda technical route from top to bottom.

According to the design philosophy and wind tunnel data of the TF110, as well as the "all-in" technical reserve power of the Toyota Group, Chen Xiangbei is eighty percent confident that this car could match the speed of the Red Bull RB6, squeezing into the top three fast cars in the paddock.

No rookie F1 driver doesn’t dream of scoring or getting on the podium for their debut or achieving a championship challenge in their first season.

Chen Xiangbei deeply understands the power of making an excellent impression; many times, the trajectory of one’s entire career depends on their rookie season’s performance.

Even if it starts strong and declines later, the benefits far outweigh those of a disastrous start!

Why has Hockenheim never stood on the podium, with no strong sponsorship backing, yet managed to compete in the F1 Paddock on and off for a decade and even secured long-term contracts in his senior years?

It’s because his rookie season was impressive enough to leave many teams with the first impression of him as a super rookie.

Even if he didn’t meet the expectations set during his rookie stage later in his career, his overall performance still met the acceptable standards.

Choosing him for a mid-lower tier team would result in driving to whatever position the car’s speed allows, occasionally delivering some surprises.

He doesn’t have glaring weaknesses or high car damage costs, making him a highly cost-effective "utility man."

In contrast, with a disastrous start, the F1 Paddock, in most cases, won’t give a driver a second chance to prove themselves!

"Bei, what are you thinking?"

Odetto noticed the thoughtful expression on Chen Xiangbei’s face and asked.

Having worked together for so long, they already know each other quite well. The Italian old man knew that this Chinese kid was tempted.

"It’s not normal for the HRT Team to sell shares to recruit drivers. Plus, with Campos mentioning internal evaluations, they should have undergone multiple rounds of negotiations with the Toyota Team over acquisition issues, and they have a significant funding gap."

"Since the HRT Team dares to make such a big gamble, why shouldn’t I?"

The risk in betting on the TF110’s performance is undoubtedly greater for the HRT Team’s investment and risk.

Chen Xiangbei has no reason not to strive for a "bright" future for himself.

"You need to think carefully. The TF110 could be the next RA109, or it could be a bottom-of-the-table semi-finished product."

"A formal racer seat at Brawn GP can at least ensure mid-level performance."

In car development, mid-upper-tier groups can rely on technology; the "Mars Rover" purely relies on fate.

Even giants like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull, who don’t lack funds, often develop cars that either excel or underperform, never daring to guarantee absolute championship speed.

After all, the data from wind tunnel simulations has a significant gap compared to reality.

To give a simple example: wind tunnel chassis data is based on an absolutely smooth road surface environment.

Which track in reality can achieve an absolutely smooth surface?

Any unevenness can cause significant error in the tested chassis data; then it’s not about the car’s speed limit but rather its adaptability range.

However, even if a giant team’s car is poor, relying on subsequent upgrades, they can still stabilize in the mid-tier of the paddock and may even launch a counterattack to reach the upper tier.

The most typical case in this regard is the later McLaren Team. Once one of the "Big Three," even if it declined like Williams and Renault, the foundation and strength of the independent factory team remained.

In the early part of the 23-season, McLaren Team was directly at the bottom, with terrible car speed and stability, and the public opinion was that Piastri was just sitting in jail.

But after just a few races and continuous upgrades to car components, they soon surpassed lower-tier groups like Haas, Williams, and Sauber.