Car Racing without Money-Chapter 152 - 101: Claiming Renault’s First Pole Position

"The speed from the last lap was pretty good, and you’ve already reached the fastest lap position in qualifying. The team suggests pitting for an adjustment."

Sawano Hiroyuki offered his advice as a race engineer based on logic.

Renault Formula cars don’t have damage limitations; as long as you have money to spend, you can drive recklessly until the several dozen spare cars in the garage are finished!

However, repairs and part replacements after qualifying come with penalties similar to those in F1. This is to prevent "lucky" drivers from spending excessively, tuning their cars with new engines at every pit stop, and overwhelming "unlucky" drivers with sheer financial power.

If Chen Xiangbei causes an accident on the track, there could be an investigation or a time penalty from the race organizers, which would be quite disadvantageous.

Odetto prepared fuel for Chen Xiangbei to run two flying laps, not necessarily to exhaust the fuel. The extra fuel is to prevent interruptions, or in case of an unsuccessful lap, to give enough for another attempt.

Now, Chen Xiangbei’s speed on this flying lap is extremely fast, already far exceeding expectations!

"Two laps are no problem, I know what I’m doing."

"COPY (received)."

Faced with Chen Xiangbei’s insistence, Sawano Hiroyuki refrained from any further comments.

Team radio communication can be distracting, so once a decision is made, it’s best not to interfere with the driver’s focus.

As for gains and losses, those are considerations for after the race.

Chen Xiangbei’s car number 13 began a frenzied push on the track, while Vergne from ART Team and Costa from Manor Team also received team orders to go full throttle push.

These team engineers are seasoned veterans with years of experience. They can easily assess the pressure and motivation caused on other drivers by a Chinese newcomer achieving such impressive speed.

No one thinks they are worse than the Chinese newcomer, and the attention on pole position for the first race is significant. In any case, everyone is going to give their all to compete!

"OH~~~! Ladies and gentlemen at Silverstone Circuit, and viewers in front of their TVs, we can tangibly feel the impact the Chinese driver Xiangbei has on this race."

"He’s like a depth charge, shattering the cautious balance within the paddock. Almost all drivers are revving up their speed this lap, launching their attack for pole position to prove they are the real talented drivers!"

Just as James narrated, in less than a minute Costa from Manor Team posted a lap time of 1 minute 57.833, surpassing Chen Xiangbei and taking the lead.

"Indeed, Costa, the main driver of the prestigious Manor Team, is truly strong."

"This is the kind of strength European drivers should showcase."

"Go, Costa, Spain’s future rising star!"

The track filled with fervent cheers from the audience. Despite being at the British Silverstone Circuit, there are indeed many Spanish fans here.

In ’05 and ’06, "Alonso" achieved two consecutive championships, directly elevating F1’s popularity in Spain to its peak, subsequently affecting other lower-tier Formula racing events.

Costa is Spain’s new generation of a genius racer. His karting results are almost as impressive as Alonso’s back in the day. Plus, with Europe’s cross-country travel being convenient, much like traveling between provinces domestically, naturally, many supporters came to watch the race.

But moments later, the Spanish fans were quickly subdued when Vergne from ART Team in France posted an even faster lap time than Costa, claiming the top spot.

minute 57.797!

This turn of events not only surprised the spectators but also left the professional team engineers in the pit lane with unexpected expressions on their faces.

Not due to surprise that Vergne took the top spot, as he is one of the favorites next to Magnussen in this Renault European Cup. Reaching the top or taking pole position would be quite normal.

The team engineers were more surprised that with seven or eight minutes left of qualifying, three drivers already posted times in the 1-minute 57-second range, showing unexpectedly high overall strength!

It’s crucial to know that the current conditions, with low temperatures and a crowded track, aren’t friendly. Is this real strength from the drivers, or is Chen Xiangbei’s emergence galvanizing everyone’s fighting spirit?

In the Super Dream Team pit lane, data engineer Mizutani Sho stared at the rapidly refreshing lap time leaderboard, murmuring in shock: "No wonder Xiangbei insists on pushing for a faster lap with light fuel; at this rate, not only is pole position not secure, even the top five are uncertain!"

During his tenure at Japan’s Suzuka Racing School, Mizutani Sho witnessed the best talents across Asia, yet the level of competition they participated in was far less intense than today’s Renault European Cup debut.

Often, when the strongest driver sets an incredible lap time, others have little challenge or chance of surpassing it.

Now, the situation is entirely different. Even after Chen Xiangbei set an astonishing lap, it’s getting repeatedly challenged and beaten, much like watching an F1 qualifying session, utterly thrilling.

Indeed, the world’s true racing geniuses are all gathered in Europe!

"This is normal, Mizutani. You must remember, as time progresses, lap times will always get faster, even if set by Schumacher."

"Every record on any European track will be broken by the next genius driver; without achieving this, they aren’t qualified to contend for the world championship!"