Car Racing without Money-Chapter 328 - 145: The Next History-Making Genius? (Double-Length)

Twenty million RMB, in 2009, is definitely a significant amount; investing in a house would probably allow one to live comfortably for a lifetime.

But in the world of Formula racing, especially at the F1 level, this amount is just a splash in the pan.

Examples like Chen Xiangbei, a self-funded F1 test driver, are extremely rare, and there’s no concrete data to assess how long twenty million would last. However, we can derive a rough timeframe based on another Chinese driver, Zhou Guanyu.

During Zhou Guanyu’s F3 period, he was a member of the Ferrari youth training camp. Due to all team resources focusing on Mick Schumacher, he couldn’t rise to F2 based on his performance and had to leave for the Renault youth training team.

Even with the title of Renault youth training driver, Zhou Guanyu was essentially self-funded.

His family acquired an F2 team and rebranded it as UNI-Virtuosi, with UNI representing "Universe."

Meanwhile, the team’s largest sponsor came from the family business Hengji Group, and their annual spending was around twenty million.

If Chen Xiangbei were in F2, theoretically, his savings could last a year.

But the costs for F1 training are three to five times those of F2 racing; just training the pit crew for tire changes can involve as many as 18 to 20 members in full.

"Three months."

Lu Xiaoman understood the meaning behind the team’s gaze and directly provided the answer.

[Can he hold out for three months?]

Upon hearing this number, the team members were more surprised.

They didn’t know Chen Xiangbei’s income situation, nor did they know the sponsorship amount pulled from China.

Odetto and Sawano Hiroyuki originally expected Chen Xiangbei to pull in a few million in sponsorship in a short time, which would already exceed the commercial value of most F2 drivers.

Who would have thought he could manage twenty million!

"More than enough."

Odetto nodded as he said this.

Notably, the Mercedes Team’s princeling, seen as the next super rookie Antonelli, had a disclosed test mileage of only 9,000 kilometers, which converts to just about three months in time.

For a Chinese newcomer like Chen Xiangbei, who has little to his name, being able to assemble three months’ worth of training funds is completely beyond expectations.

If after three months Chen Xiangbei hasn’t improved, it means he’ll struggle to achieve good results in F1 in his lifetime!

"Sawano, set up the team’s departure plan; let’s head to the Catalunya Circuit in Spain as soon as possible."

"Yes, manager."

Sawano Hiroyuki nodded. It’s now less about heading to Australia with a few people, but rather the entire team, dozens of members, heading to the test circuit, which greatly increases the preparation workload.

Chen Xiangbei, currently training on the racing simulator, was unaware of the internal meeting and its discussions led by Odetto.

But even if he knew, he wouldn’t have much choice...

Despite being a "demoted" former F1 team, Super Dream’s efficiency and execution are still in place; they completed all preparations within a day, and the entire team boarded a London-bound flight to Barcelona.

This is what makes Europe convenient; going abroad is as easy as traveling between provinces. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

After a short flight of just over two hours, the plane landed at Barcelona’s airport.

Chen Xiangbei is very unfamiliar with the city of Barcelona; his limited understanding mostly comes from the football powerhouse Barca Team.

However, when it comes to the Catalonia circuit, he’s definitely familiar.

After all, since its establishment in 1991, this track is internationally renowned as the most closely perfect track, becoming a popular venue for F1 teams to test new cars.

Until the era of ground-effect cars emerged, it only fell behind Bahrain’s Sakhir Circuit.

Though the Brown GP Team didn’t provide Chen Xiangbei with financial support, they offered basic assistance; a bus was waiting outside the airport to take the team members directly to the Catalunya Circuit located on the outskirts of Barcelona.

Seated on the bus, gazing at the unfamiliar city landscapes outside the window, Chen Xiangbei felt an indescribable excitement in his heart.

Soon he would be driving a real F1 car, an experience he had never had in his past life!