Car Racing without Money-Chapter 412 - 168: Do You Still Remember the Dreams of Your Youth?
Just when the on-site media reporters thought they had asked the right question, and this Italian rascal couldn’t find any excuse.
Briatore replied with deep meaning: "It seems you all have forgotten a piece of history."
"In 2000, when I returned to the F1 Paddock to take over Benetton—Renault, it was during the peak of the Ferrari Dynasty, and no one was optimistic about the declining Renault Team."
"But I said, one day Renault would shine like Ferrari!"
After saying this, Hua Bu pointed to the HRT Team’s logo and announced.
"Today, I can give you the same answer, one day the HRT Team will shine with its own glory!"
With the end of Briatore’s words, applause resounded at the press conference.
The one applauding was none other than Chen Xiangbei!
Now he finally understood why this infamous rascal could bring out Schumacher and Alonso, ending the former Ferrari Dynasty.
Briatore belongs to the kind of person who can bring unwavering confidence to the whole team.
Regardless of whether he’s just bluffing or truly believes it in his heart, at least the image conveyed to the outside world is such.
But there are always two sides; setting the bar too high makes failure more painful.
Briatore’s behavior and speech will undoubtedly bring immense pressure on the team’s rookies.
After all, he’s the one making bold claims, but it’s Chen Xiangbei who has to achieve them.
In more modern terms, this kind of team manager is a standard PUA master, setting extremely high goals with rhetoric to squeeze all the potential out of the drivers, forcing them to keep challenging their limits.
Although challenging limits is the path an F1 rookie is destined to take.
But if you really don’t drive well and crash here and there, Briatore will definitely not have the same steadfast belief in Chen Xiangbei’s potential and talent as he did at the press conference today.
Instead, he would unhesitatingly kick Chen Xiangbei out and replace him with the next driver full of "potential and talent."
Just like the future Renault rookie Duhan, many saw him being kicked out after various crashes, even bringing the habit of driving simulators into reality.
Yet they don’t understand why he’s so aggressive?
The fundamental reason is, before Duhan even made his debut, he had already foreseen his own end, bearing the immense pressure of being replaced.
Briatore had long signed an agreement with another rookie Colapinto’s team, just waiting for Duhan to perform poorly to display the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth!
Imagine, when a rookie hasn’t even gotten behind the wheel, and the team’s higher-ups are already prepared to replace you. This kind of psychological pressure and state is not something everyone can bear.
The only way to stay is to showcase your irreplaceable speed.
Duhan did just that, but he was too impatient and ended up crashing.
But he didn’t dare slow down, and the next race he had to compete for speed again, thus falling into a vicious cycle.
Of course, lack of skill is the original sin; being kicked out has nothing more to say.
It’s just that Hua Bu’s initial intention for replacement wasn’t even about driving skills, but because he valued the South American Consortium behind Colapinto.
After all, Colapinto crashed even more than Duhan, causing eight car damages in nine races in 2024...
Just like a line from Manager Ye in "Pegasus 2".
"We do have many substitute drivers and test drivers who drive well, but in the end, we still have to choose the one whose family is the richest."
The second-generation racer ultimately couldn’t beat the rich second-generation.
This is why Hua Bu has such a notorious reputation in the F1 Paddock.
Words spoken beautifully are just a façade; extreme focus on profits and results is Briatore’s essence.
Chen Xiangbei is well aware of this, yet it doesn’t prevent him from applauding Hua Bu’s "speech" right now.
For a small team seeking a breakthrough, many times it’s like a rookie trying to keep his seat, needing to withstand pressure and push for the limit.
An "upstart" like the HRT without any heritage especially so.
If they can’t produce results, merely relying on Chinese sponsorship infusion without sustainable profitability.
Not only would Chen Xiangbei lose his seat, but the entire team might even cease operations.
This means that regardless of whether Chen Xiangbei agrees with Hua Bu’s philosophy, he doesn’t have any retreat and must show the same stance as the team!
As the press conference reached this point, it was time to conclude.
The ensuing matters must be left to time to verify.
The news of Chen Xiangbei becoming an official driver for the HRT Team, along with Briatore’s various "explosive moves" at the press conference, sparked immense sensation worldwide as it spread and fermented through European media.
Their attention and hype even once overshadowed King of Cars Schumacher’s announcement of his comeback, joining the Mercedes Team.
Especially in the distant Eastern nation, where over a billion citizens were shocked and surprised to hear the host announce Chen Xiangbei as the first Chinese F1 Driver on the CCTV 7:30 News.
The last time they saw news about Chen Xiangbei was when he won the F3 championship at the Australian Grand Prix.
Even though most Chinese are not familiar with formula racing, they at least know there’s a "2" between "3" and "1".
Did Chen Xiangbei skip over GP2 and become an F1 Driver in less than half a year?
In 2009, when the Chinese automotive industry had just properly started, nobody expected a Chinese F1 Driver to truly appear, let alone so suddenly without any sign.
In the domain of the world’s top twenty-four drivers, there’s unexpectedly a place for a Chinese person?
Accompanied by news of Chen Xiangbei participating in the ROC National Cup, the speed of public opinion erupting domestically was no less than in Europe, occupying almost all newspaper pages and website headlines!
