Car Racing without Money-Chapter 343 - 149: Afraid of Doubts and Criticism?

Chapter 343: Chapter 149: Afraid of Doubts and Criticism?

"One million."

Staler immediately added: "Euros."

"FUCK, why don’t they just rob?"

Upon hearing this figure, Odetto was furious on the spot!

A seat for a regular driver in a trailing F1 team at this era costs about ten million euros, converting to less than one million euros per race.

Campos Team dares to ask for one million euros for an F3 substitute slot, which is indeed outrageous.

"If you want them not to rob, it’s up to you to fix it."

Staler said to Odetto meaningfully.

"What do you mean?"

Odetto is straightforward, lacking the savvy of a businessman like Staler.

"The engine supplier for Campos Team, named Infinite (Mugen)."

The Honda Group became a world-class car company not just by sales numbers, but also by the global influence it has built over decades of operation.

Apart from the headquarters, there are many operational teams and customer teams within the Honda camp.

Teams like Super Aguri, ARTA, Infinite, Dome, etc., are actually part of the Honda camp.

A team like Campos belongs to Honda’s customer team.

Mugen was originally part of Honda’s performance research department, founded by Honda Soichiro’s eldest son, Honda Hokan.

Later, it separated from the Honda Group and operated independently, becoming one of Honda’s three major tuning brands, forming a team and engine research department, providing engines for races from F3 to F1.

In the 1990s, Lotus Team, Jordan Team, Ligier Team in the F1 Paddock were all customer teams of Mugen.

Until 2001 when Honda returned to the F1 Paddock with its "Honda" brand, the "sub-brand" Mugen retreated.

However, Mugen continues to supply racing engines in the F3 and GP2 fields.

Campos Team wants to take advantage of this opportunity, and Chen Xiangbei can similarly exploit its "weakness."

Odetto has good relations with Suzuki Aguri and the Honda Group, so as long as pressure is applied on Campos Team regarding the supply of racing engines, they won’t dare quote such sky-high prices!

"Got it, I’ll handle it."

Upon hearing the word "Mugen" from Staler’s mouth, Odetto instantly understood the intention.

"OK, the next F1 Grand Prix will be held at the Spa Circuit in Belgium. I’ll coordinate with the Brawn GP Team on my end. You should also prepare in advance, Xiangbei."

"Opportunities only come to those who are prepared."

"Yeah. I will."

Chen Xiangbei nodded, understanding the principle.

"Well then, I’ll be off. There’s another business to handle."

Staler stood up after finishing his words, tidied up his attire, and prepared to leave.

"Staler, in such a hurry?"

Chen Xiangbei asked, given that the other party is nearly seventy years old, arriving at the Catalonia Circuit and leaving immediately without knowing if his body can handle it.

"Time is money!"

Responding with a smile, Staler briskly left the meeting room.

For professional investors like them, efficiency is already part of the routine.

The news Staler brought that day was conveyed to the main team members by Chen Xiangbei.

After some discussion, everyone decided to return to the Blakeley Factory, the headquarters of Brawn GP Team ahead of schedule.

On one hand, it’s because the lifespan of the two backup units of the PA108 car has been exhausted during Chen Xiangbei’s race testing. Now, it’s all about conserving throttle, preventing issues like an engine explosion due to aggressive driving.

Yet, Chen Xiangbei’s lap speed has returned to a bottleneck stage. He needs to challenge the edge of the race car and track in a very aggressive way, squeezing out his remaining potential.

This racing state obviously doesn’t meet Chen Xiangbei’s requirements.

Staying here longer only improves proficiency, offering tiny benefits for driving skills.

Additionally, there are no racing simulators or high-end fitness equipment here. If Chen Xiangbei wants to run the Spa F3 Track, he must return to the headquarters for specialized training.

Besides, there’s a matter of financial strain for Chen Xiangbei.

The cost of testing F1 cars is akin to opening a floodgate!

Stuff like labor, venue, tires are not worth mentioning, as these are standard consumables within formula racing. F1 merely magnifies the costs ten times or more.

What Chen Xiangbei never expected was being unable to afford even fuel...

Later, online jokes often made about Nazhijie, calling this car an oil tiger, a partner of Sinopec and PetroChina, always refueling or on their way to a gas station.

A foot on the gas, the fuel tank could swirl.

Chen Xiangbei doesn’t know if Nazhijie can make a fuel tank swirl, but he’s well aware that a foot on the gas on the track could indeed cause a swirl in an F1 racing fuel tank.

During this period, calculations showed Chen Xiangbei’s full-speed advancement had a shocking fuel consumption rate of eighty liters per hundred kilometers!

Plus, F1 uses premium unleaded gasoline, with a very high octane rating and fine formula, causing its price to skyrocket, far beyond normal gasoline grades.

Besides gasoline, there’s also the need for motor oil and coolant, which are also greatly more expensive than those used in civilian cars.

F1 racing is dubbed the most expensive sport on the planet for a reason—without money, you can’t even afford fuel.

Chen Xiangbei doesn’t know how much Odetto’s pressure with Honda can force Campos Team to lower the substitute slot fee, but he estimates several hundred euros would surely be needed.

It’s just that without sponsorship from major players or factory team support, money really isn’t spent wisely, even though Chen Xiangbei’s sponsorship skills are pretty good, he still struggles to fill the money-burning hole.