Car Racing without Money-Chapter 531 - 207: Intensifying Internal Conflict in the Team (Part 2)
"Driver Xiangbei in a scuffle with Kovalainen in the clubhouse, suspected of insulting Finnish superstar Raikkonen, and fighting over a woman!"
"Insulting Raikkonen," this point, Chen Xiangbei gritted his teeth and admitted.
Fighting over a woman is simply ridiculous, at most there was just a photo taken of Emily standing behind him.
But that’s the internet for you: the truth doesn’t matter, capturing attention is the goal!
The party went on until midnight, and by the time it ended, most team members were drunk, even Odetto and Sawano Hiroyuki, with their usually serious personalities, let loose to celebrate Chen Xiangbei’s achievements.
Only Chen Xiangbei remained sober, fully aware of the impact of alcohol on a driver’s reflexes and the numbing effect, with Kovalainen’s vivid example right before him tonight.
It’s clear that this driver, once hailed as Finland’s future star, can no longer control his emotions well. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Driving back to the hotel, Emily’s eyes on Chen Xiangbei showed a significant change.
The first impression Chen Xiangbei had given her was that of a slightly shy and humble traditional Chinese driver.
The racing style on the track these days, and the events tonight, revealed a completely different side of Chen Xiangbei.
Especially when he stood up, Emily truly felt he was quite MAN.
The two sat in the car without much dialogue, until they stopped at the entrance of Emily’s hotel.
As she unbuckled her seatbelt to get out, Emily finally mustered the courage to say, "Xiangbei, honestly, I’ve been thinking if there’s a chance, you should race against Raikkonen in the WRC. You might even beat him."
"You not only can stand shoulder to shoulder with world champions, but you can also defeat world champions!"
Emily didn’t forget Kovalainen’s provocative words; on what grounds does he assume Xiangbei is definitely weaker than Raikkonen?
At least she knew how incredible Chen Xiangbei’s rally driving skills were!
"Thank you, get some rest."
Chen Xiangbei smiled and replied; in a way, Emily wasn’t wrong.
In his past life, at the pinnacle of WRC racing, he had reached a championship-contending level, ranking ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.
But that was all in the past. In this life, Chen Xiangbei had entered the F1 paddock, setting his sights on conquering this ultimate racing peak.
"Alright then, see you next time."
Emily waved her hand, her tone slightly disappointed, and walked towards the hotel doors.
When she turned back again, the taillights of Chen Xiangbei’s car had disappeared into the night sky.
The overnight celebration impacted HRT Team’s efficiency in relocating, equipment meant to be packed up by the next day was forced to delay until the third day, missing the joint transport fleet.
It’s known that relocating an F1 team is a monumental project; personnel aside, the sheer number of various equipment is staggering. To give you an idea, just the team’s communication system has dozens of radios.
Coupled with hundreds of wireless communication devices, wireless network bases, etc., this ensures that there are no signal blind spots on a multi-kilometer-long track, and drivers can clearly receive team instructions and conduct two-way communication.
Apart from electronic devices, the team’s consumables hold the major share in relocation.
Such as dozens of tires, thousands of liters of fuel, and hundreds of liters of engine oil and coolant.
Along with food, tools, and various other miscellaneous items, the total quantity can reach tens of tons.
Unified rental of fleets can reduce transfer costs, missing them means chartering a plane individually.
It can be said that the cost of this post-race celebration was much larger than imagined, adding to HRT’s already strained finances.
The only somewhat fortunate aspect was the intercontinental races spaced two weeks apart, giving HRT Team enough time, otherwise it would affect the installation of equipment for the Australian Grand Prix.
Due to the longer interval, Chen Xiangbei did not head to Australia immediately but returned to the UK at the team’s headquarters, utilizing the facilities there for high-intensity simulation driving training.
Just like the Bahrain Sakhir Circuit, he had not raced at Australia’s Albert Park Circuit either!
Moreover, the Bahrain Circuit held the advantage of the opening race, allowing Chen Xiangbei to utilize the winter break phase for high-intensity simulator practices, compensating for the lack of experience.
Focusing primarily on the opening race, it meant no energy left to prepare for Albert Park Circuit.
The only action now is to seize the time between the two races!
Trulli and Chen Xiangbei made the same choice, both heading to the UK’s headquarters for high-intensity training.
Honestly, although Trulli didn’t want to admit it, he was already influenced by Chen Xiangbei.
As a veteran driver in the F1 paddock, Trulli hadn’t reached the point of driving "leisure cars," but he also lacked the drive and spirit of younger drivers, gradually accepting his eventual departure from the paddock.
However, with his entry into the HRT team, Trulli saw the ultimate spirit of being a driver in Chen Xiangbei!
Effort, focus, commitment, passion...
Especially after crashing and watching from the P room, seeing the young Chinese driver defending with all his might against adversity and pushing forward aggressively to catch up, reminded Trulli of his own days as a dream-chasing youth.
