Car Racing without Money-Chapter 169 - 105: Renault’s First Victory!
Only through changes in the competition format can the race become more exciting.
As a result, the Chinese driver, once deemed "weak and conservative" by Europe, stirred the waters like a catfish, engaging in a brilliant tactical battle right from the start, escalating into an all-out brawl.
James could not exaggerate, this is the most exciting lower-tier formula race he has seen in the past year! 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"Putting aside racial factors, Bei’s driving style is truly aggressive."
"If aggression worked, Ino Yuji would have become the King of Cars. With this kind of push, he’s just waiting for a blowout in the later stages!"
"Even a blowout in the later stages is better than being dull and lifeless. This race is truly spectacular."
"Costa, catch up to that Chinese guy and show him what a real driver is!"
The discussions among the spectators are gradually becoming polarized.
Some people agree with commentator James that Chen Xiangbei has indeed made this race more exciting.
However, most people still don’t rate Chen Xiangbei highly, thinking the Chinese Kid will pay for his recklessness in the later stages!
At the same moment James was commenting, Costa had already pushed full throttle in the corner, reaching the Renault’s acceleration limit of 250 km/h.
But even so, Costa was despairingly aware that his full-throttle acceleration using the blind spots of the track still couldn’t escape Magnussen’s watchful eyes. The latter accelerated almost in sync, firmly holding onto his slipstream, not giving any chance to break free.
It wasn’t until this moment that Costa finally understood that Magnussen’s "peaceful coexistence" was simply a preparation for a speed chase, explaining such quick reactions!
Even the sudden "attack" couldn’t shake off Magnussen. From T10 to T14, these S-curves with continuous changes, Costa’s strength alone was even less likely to succeed. The two cars passed through the combination bends in succession.
"Great, Costa’s been held up by Magnussen. They can’t catch up to Xiangbei!"
Seeing this scene, Mizutani Sho clenched his fist in excitement and celebrated.
The main competitors were embroiled in a tangle, missing out on the slipstream would only cause the distance with Chen Xiangbei to widen. As long as a sufficient lead was established, even if grip deteriorated later, the second pack wouldn’t catch up!
Upon hearing Mizutani Sho’s words, the other team members in the paddock were a bit excited too.
Only Odetto remained expressionless, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He kept his gaze fixed on Vergne from the ART Team on the broadcast screen. This driver was left in the second pack at the start, not participating in any battle between the leading cars, maintaining his own pace and rhythm.
Moreover, Odetto keenly noticed that Vergne gave his teammate a position, dropping from fourth to fifth, yet his lap speed was steadily improving.
From the initial second pack, to now catching up with those two leading cars during Costa and Magnussen’s tussle, the teammate successfully caught the slipstream of the car in front!
In at most another lap, the situation on the track will turn into Chen Xiangbei speeding ahead, followed by a "train" of four cars.
Odetto knows very well, Vergne is the type whose skill outweighs fame. His steady running style and approach aren’t popular; spectators naturally notice the aggressive and showy drivers.
But often, these steady long-distance drivers quietly catch up in the main race, achieving very good results.
The former four-time champion "Professor" Prost belonged to such people.
Odetto doesn’t know Vergne’s team strategy, but decades of experience and instinct in the paddock tell him, claiming it’s impossible to catch Chen Xiangbei is premature!
After failing to shake off Magnussen, Costa temporarily "settled down."
Just those few corners of full-speed PUSH and extreme braking wore the tires incredibly.
If there’s another round of such intense driving, without shaking off Magnussen, Costa himself might veer off track first.
The fierce tangle at the front of the track entered a "truce," while Chen Xiangbei glanced at the distance with Costa through the rear-view mirror and also entered his tire management pace.
To be honest, he’s not worried about the front drivers catching up, but more concerned about any rogue operation from the trailing drivers, as a race incident causing a safety car would be a huge loss.
It might be due to the extensive familiarity of European drivers with the Silverstone Circuit, or because the track’s buffer zones exaggeratedly offer enough room and "escape" space for racing maneuvers.
Thus, from the fourth lap to the seventeenth, except for a few cars retiring to the pits due to failure, surprisingly, no incident causing a "flag" occurred, allowing Chen Xiangbei to breathe a sigh of relief.
But by this time, Chen Xiangbei vaguely felt the car starting to float, indicating the tires were showing signs of insufficient grip.
Being the lead car, he had never got any slipstream benefit. Coupled with the full-speed PUSH with heavy fuel on lap two, the soft tire wear was extremely severe, and the surface had become full of pits and bumps.
However, the worst situation occurred at this time. In the eighteenth lap, Magnussen, who had been patient the entire race, finally received a team instruction transmitted via TR.
"Kevin, overtake Costa ahead and catch up to the Chinese rookie to seize victory in this opening race!"
