Car Racing without Money-Chapter 544 - 212: Wrong Direction Leads to Negative Level-Up
"WTF, what’s Sutil doing? Provoking driver Bei?"
"Nonsense, it’s clearly a blocking provocation. Don’t forget how reckless driver Bei was at the last race. Can a rookie really ride over a veteran?"
"Seems like Sutil really has it out for the HRT Team."
"I think Sutil did a great job. It’s about time someone curbs that Chinese man’s arrogance!"
Tens of thousands of spectators on-site were watching the big screen, focusing their attention on Chen Xiangbei and Sutil.
Many of them appeared excited and thrilled. They already had no goodwill towards Chen Xiangbei, and his arrogant words and actions at the pre-race press conference only added fuel to the fire. Now, with Sutil making a move on the track, it’s just the lesson the Chinese rookie needed.
Let driver Bei understand that the F1 Paddock is not a place where he can act wild!
Facing the taunts from the many local and Western spectators, the Chinese fans and Chen Xiangbei supporters remained silent.
On one hand, they were outnumbered.
On the other hand, they lacked confidence.
In the end, Chen Xiangbei is a rookie with no solid foundation. Arguing verbally is one thing, but engaging in real, fierce competition could come at a cost they can’t afford.
To put it bluntly, even if Western drivers or veteran paddock drivers get into one or two scuffles, it’s not a big deal.
But for a rookie, especially an Asian one, the external pressures and team management won’t give him that kind of leeway.
Take Sato Takuma, for instance. Despite his higher track accident rate, it’s nothing compared to many famous "directors" of later years; many issues stemmed from the car’s mechanical failures.
Yet, the paddock’s overall public opinion painted him as a negative example, even a joke.
Everyone knows how exhilarating recklessness can be, but few dare to throw all caution to the wind.
Even the Chinese spectators in the stands subconsciously felt that Chen Xiangbei should exercise restraint and focus on the bigger picture.
"Odetto, Bei seems to be in a bit of trouble. Should we give him team orders?"
Test engineer Mazzola, watching the broadcast, worriedly asked.
In his eyes, a rookie from China probably had not experienced malicious on-track battles, making it difficult to handle the situation alone.
That’s when the team should offer some advice, either to concede or choose the best overtaking point.
"No need."
Without the slightest hesitation, Odetto replied.
"Bei doesn’t like starting trouble, but he never shies away from it."
"Mazzola, you can’t view Bei with the usual stereotypes of an Asian driver."
Before Mazzola could understand what this meant, Briatore, standing beside him, added, "Don’t be deceived by the Chinese kid’s appearance. He actually has a combative nature."
Saying this, Briatore patted Mazzola on the shoulder, looking ready to enjoy the show.
Indeed, Chen Xiangbei’s "combative" side is often overshadowed by his identity as a Chinese rookie, even making the outside world think he’s easy to bully.
In reality, Chen Xiangbei prefers to be the one doing the "bullying."
Briatore, with his innate "talent-spotting" eye, can observe certain natures in drivers and amplify them.
This is why, no matter how bad Hua Bu’s reputation is, neither Schumacher nor Alonso has ever said a bad word about him.
He has recognized Chen Xiangbei’s "restless" heart!
On the track, after being blocked several times, Chen Xiangbei’s expression gradually shifted from confusion to a faint, excited smile.
Does Sutil think blocking like this will let him squash a soft target?
Just as Chen Xiangbei guessed, Sutil indeed didn’t take the Chinese rookie seriously, even if he finished fifth in the debut race.
Whether following team orders or retaliating for the aggressive cut-in at the Bahrain Station, Sutil planned to use this lap to teach the Chinese kid a lesson in rules!
The two cars sped along in tandem, and the track’s broadcast camera was entirely focused on them, even as many drivers who’d already returned to the pit watched the big screen with their strategy teams, eager to see what the Chinese rookie would do to break the impasse.
Chen Xiangbei first attempted a conventional corner overtake, against which Sutil was well-prepared. Relying on his rich offensive and defensive experience and betting on the Chinese kid’s reluctance to risk a collision, he defended robustly.
Through successive curves, Chen Xiangbei’s number 13 car nearly brushed Sutil’s rear wheels, watching him defensively weave his line like a snake.
At the Bahrain Grand Prix, with grip-ready overtaking bends, Chen Xiangbei feared nothing from Sutil’s defensive lines; as long as the tires had enough grip, overtaking on the outside lane posed no problem.
But now, facing severe oversteer and a moderate downforce setting, keeping the car steady was challenging enough for Chen Xiangbei, let alone trying to overtake in the bends.
At times, Chen Xiangbei could even feel the car’s rear end sliding!
If speed increased even a bit, or if the steering angle became larger, Chen Xiangbei had no doubt that the TF110 would spin like a top.
"On the track, HRT Team’s No. 13 driver Bei is extremely close to Indian Force’s No. 15 driver Sutil, as they continuously shift lines in an offensive and defensive battle."
"But the problem is, this is the first practice session. There theoretically shouldn’t be any competition. Could it be that the heat’s affecting even the drivers’ tempers?"
Red, unaware of the underlying conflict, could only comment with speculation and humor.
