Car Racing without Money-Chapter 437 - 175: Drivers Must Adapt to Their Cars (Part 2)

Chapter 437: Chapter 175: Drivers Must Adapt to Their Cars (Part 2)

The reason is simple: the paddock is indeed filled with politics and interests, but there is still appreciation and esteem present.

A newcomer showing potential shouldn’t be kept out of the F1 paddock; Chen Xiangbei is destined to shine on the track!

"But the FIA has been quite chaotic in recent years, and Mr. Tod is unable to dictate solo."

"To get the Super Driver’s License without controversy, it’s best to show speed during winter testing; this is the real F1 domain!"

Getting a special Super Driver’s License has never been easy, let alone for someone like Chen Xiangbei who is "jumping grades" with four races.

Even during those days, despite having such a strong "household registration" as Finland’s, Kimi Raikkonen also faced numerous difficulties in applying for the Super Driver’s License; then-FIA president Max Mosley even publicly declared.

"Such a rookie who has only participated in 23 Formula races is unlikely to get an F1 Super Driver’s License."

Indeed, the FIA president directly called Raikkonen a "rookie."

In contrast, at least no FIA official has publicly ridiculed Chen Xiangbei.

In those days, Raikkonen secured a testing opportunity given by the Saub Team boss, proving himself on the Jerez and Catalonia tracks, and finally getting the F1 Super Driver’s License before the season started.

Currently, Chen Xiangbei’s situation is similar to Raikkonen’s; his previous highest achievements were in F3, lacking sufficient persuasion.

Winter training is the only time to drive a true F1 car and compete alongside the world’s strongest twenty-three drivers!

"I will,"

Chen Xiangbei nodded; he understood that without speed, Jean Todt would find it difficult.

"I believe in you; after all, you defeated Schumacher in the ROC National Cup."

Ross Brown chuckled, having also watched the ROC National Cup where Chen Xiangbei performed exceptionally well.

With his own strength, he consecutively defeated several world-class drivers, bringing the China team to the top three.

However, Ross Brown felt conflicted; the two F1 drivers defeated by Chen Xiangbei were both from the Mercedes (Brawn GP) team.

He himself hadn’t been able to sign Chen Xiangbei.

To some extent, this is being unable to control one’s destiny in the world; the shareholders of Mercedes expected to create a pure "German team."

Even as the team leader, Ross Brown also had no authority.

By now, almost everything needed to be said had been mentioned, and as the team manager, Ross Brown had many things to handle, so Chen Xiangbei didn’t stay long and returned to his team’s garage.

At this moment, most of the HRT Team’s equipment had been unloaded, and Liang Chi and several others weren’t involved in unpacking the equipment but were instead climbing ladders to put up "posters."

These aren’t ordinary promotional posters but banners hung on the team’s repair station’s entrance, printed with the driver’s name, car number, and photo.

Putting these up indicates that Chen Xiangbei is an official F1 driver with his own exclusive garage!

This banner might seem trivial to others but holds special significance in Liang Chi and others’ hearts.

China’s racing finally had its own place in the F1 paddock!

Not only them, but Chen Xiangbei was also standing in front of the repair station, gazing up at the banner with his name and photo, feeling deeply emotional.

Throughout two lifetimes, he had used many different repair stations during warm-up races but never had one specifically for himself.

This moment was his dream come true.

Though the HRT team is new, its crew members are veterans, and with two to three hundred people working swiftly, basic equipment was soon installed, and two TF110 cars were pushed to the repair spots.

Compared to what Chen Xiangbei saw at the Lifield Technology Center, the TF110 now had some aerodynamic components camouflaged, with "wind-catching nets" added to the nose and body parts.

This apparatus looks like a metal frame and is officially termed "wake rake," used to measure forward wheel, diffuser, and side-flow wake with numerous pitot tubes, thereby comparing the gathered data with CFD and wind tunnel data.

As the HRT Team was conducting final adjustments, the engine roar came from outside the garage, with a red liveried car speeding through the repair lane, kicking off the winter test for new models ahead of time.

"The Ferrari Team’s assembly speed is so quick?"

Seeing this scene, Chen Xiangbei couldn’t help but murmur.

Hua Bu, standing beside him, happened to overhear this and explained with arms crossed.

"Ferrari has nearly five hundred team members, almost twice ours, plus they’ve rented a permanent garage at the Catalonia Circuit, reducing the need for transporting and installing many basic equipment, thus naturally speeding things up."

"Deservedly a powerhouse,"

Chen Xiangbei felt some sentiment; he had tested in Catalonia before and understood the value of long-term garage and equipment rental.

This item alone costs at least a million US dollars annually.

"Heh, just defeated opponents,"

Hua Bu replied disdainfully, as he held a significant grudge against the Ferrari Team.

When he was the Benetton Team manager, he discovered Schumacher, leading them to consecutive driver’s world championships in ’94 and ’95, at the peak of success!

However, in ’96, Ferrari leveraged its wealth to poach Schumacher, along with many top technical talents from Benetton, which led to the team’s decline.

Hua Bu naturally won’t forget this rivalry.

In ’05, he teamed up with Renault for a grand comeback, ending Ferrari’s prancing horse dynasty.