Car Racing without Money-Chapter 477 - 188: I’m Not a Pushover

In a way, Briatore and Odetto share the same view, or maybe it’s because they’ve both been in the paddock for decades and have a similar understanding.

That is, it’s better to be criticized than to be ignored.

In today’s fan culture, you might say, being famous for bad reasons is still fame!

The difference being, Odetto passively chose to put Chen Xiangbei in the spotlight. He’s well aware that without generating buzz to attract investment and sponsorship, a new driver from China wouldn’t be able to cross the F1 threshold.

Take the Super Driver’s License, for example. There are nearly a hundred people who meet the standards, and countless more who don’t.

But most of the time, there are only ten teams and twenty drivers in the F1 paddock.

Those drivers who can’t make the cut either pivot to other racing series or sit in the P Room watching the water cooler.

Most of these are slightly less capable, but there are still potential candidates who could compete with mid-tier F1 drivers, lacking only the opportunity to sit in a cockpit and prove themselves.

But such an opportunity might never come in a lifetime!

Briatore’s philosophy is entirely different; he is purely in it for the fame and profit, and whether the driver gets to race is irrelevant.

As for the consequences, who cares?

That’s why, after Chen Xiangbei achieved his goal of entering F1, Odetto became much more cautious and stopped demanding risk-taking for exposure.

He understood that sometimes the cost might outweigh the benefits.

Briatore just cares about the "gain" and ignores the "loss."

If there really is a "loss," he would just replace the driver and still win.

Faced with the audience’s strong reactions, Briatore was very pleased; it was exactly what he wanted.

"Can you even congratulate me for this?"

Chen Xiangbei asked, somewhat exasperated.

"Of course. You’ve become the center of attention."

"Think about newcomers like Petrov and Di Grassi, where are they right now?"

"Even young Senna doesn’t have as much attention as you, the Chinese rookie!"

Briatore was in the P Room boasting about his promotional methods, very satisfied with himself.

You have to know, his favorite rookie in the F1 paddock has always been the nephew of the legendary Brazilian driver Senna, Bruno Senna!

Initially, among the four rookie drivers, young Senna, being a "second-generation star," was the undisputed focus of attention, with everyone in and outside the paddock hoping he could carry on his uncle’s racing spirit and lead South American motorsport.

Yet, through Briatore’s manipulation, the Chinese kid somehow stole the spotlight.

"Alright, not bad."

Chen Xiangbei replied helplessly, feeling almost indifferent to the antics of the Italian rogue, as if nothing Briatore pulled would surprise him anymore.

Or perhaps this is a strange form of successful PUA?

"Increase the speed, start the car test!"

"Copy that."

After giving that instruction, Briatore turned to Odetto and said, "The Chinese kid has good mental resilience, not affected by external factors, can handle the pressure." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

As much as he stirred things up, Briatore appreciated Chen Xiangbei’s emotional stability.

"That’s how he made it this far."

Odetto replied calmly, as the pioneer of Chinese motorsport, Chen Xiangbei had faced a lot of ridicule and mockery.

By comparison, the current situation was nothing.

"Good, I like drivers like this!"

Briatore was very pleased, knowing he had many more tricks up his sleeve, potentially even unethical ones.

If the Chinese kid could handle it, the old rogue could go all out.

"Manager Briatore, Xiangbei is easygoing, but that doesn’t mean he’s easy to control."

After all, they were old rivals from the "Red-Blue Battle" era, and Odetto knew Briatore’s nature quite well.

This was someone who loved to push boundaries, using every means necessary.

In contrast, Chen Xiangbei had his own bottom line.

At least the past "Crashgate" strategies wouldn’t happen with Chen Xiangbei.

"Odetto, Xiangbei and I will both win."

Briatore replied confidently, knowing well what the other was hinting at.

It didn’t matter, much like how Schumacher and Alonso wouldn’t be diminished in their greatness by outside criticism!

Meanwhile, Chen Xiangbei began testing the car and track, opting for a conservative driving style, with lap times stable at over 1 minute and 40 seconds, trailing by two to three seconds compared to seasoned drivers from other teams.

Even among rookies and "semi-rookies," Chen Xiangbei was still the slowest.

The so-called "semi-rookies" are those who joined teams mid-season last year, having driven a few F1 races but lacking a full season under their belt, also unfamiliar with the Bahrain Sakhir Circuit.

Red Bull’s second team driver Jamie Agur Sulaeri and Sauber’s Kobayashi Kamui were of this type.

"This is the pace in practice? And the Chinese guy dares to call himself the next star driver?"

"With this skill, can he even see Raikkonen’s taillights?"

"Chinese rookie, just go home, F1 isn’t for you!"

"Pay drivers can buy tickets, but not talent!"

All sorts of sarcastic remarks were thrown around, with Chen Xiangbei’s performance and speed on the track seemingly hitting a new low.

It seems the so-called winter test second place was just the HRT Team sacrificing engine life for Chinese rookie hype.

"Damn, this mockery is harsh. Don’t they know practice lap times don’t matter?"