Car Racing without Money-Chapter 529 - 206: Surpassing Raikkonen’s Talent (Part 2)
In fact, Chen Xiangbei was well aware of why Odetto, once seemingly aggressive, now appeared "conservative". 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
It was because Odetto had stood on the opposite side of Briatore and knew well what kind of person the Italian rogue was. Back in the day, Trulli was his favorite, who he had discovered and promoted to Renault, also playing the manager’s role.
One could say that today’s Chen Xiangbei is a replica of Trulli back then.
All of Hua Bu’s actions and behaviors are aimed at extracting the remaining value of the driver.
He doesn’t genuinely care about the drivers’ "well-being", only about whether he can achieve his own goals.
Odetto worried whether Chen Xiangbei could resist the "temptation" and step by step descend into the abyss woven by Briatore; today, it might be asking him to overtake using a "torpedo" tactic, tomorrow it could be issuing even more extreme orders, or even playing political tricks like "Crashgate".
To put it bluntly, Odetto wanted to "protect" Chen Xiangbei, truly seeing him as someone from the next generation to cherish.
The whispered words of Chen Xiangbei also showed that he was very clear-headed, not letting victory or Hua Bu’s words make him lose his sense.
"Hmm."
With Chen Xiangbei’s words, the serious expression on Odetto’s face relaxed, he patted Chen Xiangbei’s arm and then walked out.
A brief rest period passed, and a prize-giving ceremony was held in the paddock.
Chen Xiangbei stood in the P room watching Vettel ascend the highest podium, as the German national anthem played throughout the venue.
To be honest, Chen Xiangbei felt a bit envious.
It wasn’t just about a driver being able to stand on the champion’s podium but also about a Chinese driver hoping to have the national anthem play at the pinnacle of motorsports.
Turning those cold eyes and laughter into admiration standing below the stage!
The awards ceremony ended, marking the conclusion of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Chen Xiangbei and strategy group members returned to the hotel, while the technician group and engineering team conducted post-race inspections and packed all the equipment.
The next Grand Prix would be moving to Australia in the southern hemisphere.
After all, at this time of year, the northern hemisphere is still in early spring, making the track temperatures too low to host events, so the race calendar prioritizes areas in the southern hemisphere and closer to the equator.
After washing up and changing into casual clothes, Briatore led the strategy team members to a club. Due to the unique factors of Bahrain, the clientele here mainly consisted of foreign tourists, mostly from Europe and America.
Compared to the last bar outing, which had only Lu Xiaoman as the sole woman.
This time, at the celebration party led by Briatore, the place was filled with girls of various charms, making the team’s European and American members’ eyes light up!
One could say Hua Bu did not disappoint the "playboy" label, as he was more skilled in dealing with women than managing the team.
"Bei, see that blonde beauty over there? I invited her specifically to be your companion tonight."
"Go on, don’t be shy. Feel free to release yourself tonight!"
Following the direction led by Briatore’s finger, Chen Xiangbei saw a stunningly beautiful lady sitting at the bar.
If Chen Xiangbei guessed correctly, her profession should be a supermodel.
After all, Hua Bu’s ex-girlfriend was the world-class Victoria’s Secret supermodel Heidi Klum.
Facing Briatore, the shareholder, Chen Xiangbei didn’t engage in conversation or approach, just smiled and walked toward the sofa.
There are never any shortages of playboys in the F1 paddock, but truly top-notch drivers possess a steely will.
For example, Schumacher, who was incomparably devoted to his wife Corinna, and this loyalty was reciprocated.
After the skiing accident, even after being bedridden for many years, his wife remained unwaveringly by his side.
Another example is "the transformer" Verstappen.
This guy is unlike others, with such focus on racing that he leaves no room for distractions.
As for Chen Xiangbei’s move, Briatore was completely puzzled.
Was the companion he introduced not to his taste, or did this kid have some hidden ailments?
Fortunately, right then, Hua Bu saw a pretty, charming lady sitting next to Chen Xiangbei, and they seemed to be having a fascinating conversation, which eased his second doubt.
Looks like Bei isn’t a fan of the supermodel type; next time, I’ll change up the style!
"Emily, what are you doing here?"
Chen Xiangbei was extremely surprised; the beauty sitting next to him was none other than Emily, Staler’s granddaughter.
"Grandpa really wanted to come to watch live but couldn’t handle the travel, so I came instead."
"Why didn’t you contact me earlier, and how did you know to come to this club?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
Emily responded playfully. In reality, it was Staler who specifically advised not to disturb Chen Xiangbei before the race to avoid distraction.
"Alright, it really is quite a ’surprise’."
Chen Xiangbei shrugged and then picked up the juice on the table to sip on it.
"Bei, first, congratulations on scoring in your debut."
"Also, may I ask you another question?"
After saying this, Emily leaned in close to Chen Xiangbei, her big eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Go ahead."
"Bei, were you really just an amateur rally enthusiast?"
Chen Xiangbei’s rally performance that day often floated in Emily’s mind, even after a whole year.
At that time, she was mostly surprised, considering Chen Xiangbei might be a hidden rally genius!
Now, after Emily’s rally racing skills had improved and having witnessed higher-level coaches and drivers, especially Kimi Raikkonen, the current F1 world champion transitioning to the WRC with Citroën’s junior team this year.
She realized the reality that Chen Xiangbei’s rally skills could no longer be described just as a genius.
It was simply a "miracle"!
Recalling it, Emily felt that Chen Xiangbei’s proficiency and precision in control were no less than Raikkonen’s performance on WRC tracks.
Only by comparison can one see the truth.
How could Bei, as an F1 test driver at that time, have WRC-level rally skills, did he manage to find time to practice rally racing while training for Formula racing?
Emily couldn’t figure this out, suspecting Chen Xiangbei was hiding something. That’s why she happily agreed to grandfather Staler’s request, flying to Bahrain to witness Chen Xiangbei’s debut while also trying to unravel her curiosity.
"Hmm."
Chen Xiangbei only acknowledged it with a grunt; sometimes, too much explanation only leads to more flaws in the story.
"Impossible, I think you are better than Raikkonen!"
Faced with Chen Xiangbei’s denial, Emily became a bit excited, subconsciously raising her voice.
At that moment, a sarcastic voice came through.
"Finishing fifth in your debut and you really think you can rival a world champion?"
The sudden voice garnered the attention of everyone in the hall.
Chen Xiangbei also looked over and saw a group walking into the venue, led by Lotus Team’s Finnish driver Kovalainen.
Kovalainen’s entire career can be described in two ways.
The first is the common high start and low-end.
The second is one moment a god, the next a mess.
When he’s exceptional, his speed is breathtaking, winning a runner-up finish in his rookie season, and when he’s a mess, he’s like a torpedo on the track.
The reason for such high and low performance bandwidth is due to a common pneumonia among Finnish drivers - heavy drinking!
Limited by Finland’s icy geographical conditions, it has produced numerous world-class drivers, especially in rallies. Some things complement each other, but precisely because of the harsh climate, they have a high rate of alcoholism like the Russians do.
Kimi Raikkonen being one of the representatives.
If not for his drinking and lack of discipline, Raikkonen, with his talent and speed, would have more than just one world championship title.
Kovalainen is the same; he was seen as the next Raikkonen when he debuted, but ended up with a high start but low fall, eventually merging into the crowd and having to leave the F1 paddock.
However, Finnish drivers are very team-oriented; he was able to enter the F1 paddock, with senior drivers Hakkinen and Raikkonen having helped, and Kovalainen kept this friendship in mind, considering the two as his idols.
No one in the F1 paddock despises Chen Xiangbei as much as Kovalainen does for his various "crashing" actions toward Raikkonen.
Today, as the Lotus Team came to the club to relax after the race and then heard Chen Xiangbei and others "disparaging" Raikkonen, Kovalainen could not swallow this indignation!
