Car Racing without Money-Chapter 563 - 220: Teammates Are the Greatest Rivals

Through the visor glass, Chen Xiangbei saw many people waving their arms in his direction, but he did not respond and drove directly into the pit lane to return to the station.

Previously, there had been moments of "wishful thinking" because the audience was actually cheering for Hamilton, and Chen Xiangbei happened to follow closely behind at the finish line, giving him a mere illusion.

This led to a "boy who cried wolf" effect; this time, many spectators were genuinely excited for Chen Xiangbei, yet they were hesitant to confirm and respond.

The two HRT Racing Cars parked one after the other in the grid, and the entire team came out, offering congratulations to both Chen Xiangbei and Trulli.

For a "newcomer" team, two consecutive double car Q3s is definitely a proud achievement.

The HRT Team even vaguely showed the strength to challenge the veteran strong team, the Renault Team!

Members of other teams in the pit lane looked at the celebratory HRT Team with some envy, jealousy, and even a bit of defiance.

Sir Williams also came to the P room today to watch, standing beside the current team director, Heide.

With his arms folded across his chest, he looked at the distant Chen Xiangbei with a complex gaze and said, "BOSS, you were introduced to Bei by Mr. Staler early on and recognized his talent and strength. Why did you ultimately choose to let him go?"

Heide had been at the Williams Team for many years, gradually rising from an ordinary engineer to the position of team director, making him currently the second-person next to Sir Williams.

He was aware of Sir Williams’ past with Chen Xiangbei but could not understand the boss’s decision at that time.

Back then, Chen Xiangbei was just a newbie in his early days. As long as the Williams Team extended an olive branch, even offering just a test driver seat might have recruited him into the youth training camp.

This was completely different from Renault Team’s recruitment approach.

When Renault leader Blair intended to sign him, Chen Xiangbei was already fully-fledged, and he could not be satisfied with a third driver’s seat, making cooperation impossible.

If Sir Williams didn’t recognize Chen Xiangbei’s capabilities, it would have been understandable. Despite seeing the potential of the Chinese rookie, he still chose not to reach out, nor did he use Staler’s connections to bridge the gap.

This is something Heide really couldn’t figure out!

Faced with the team director Heide’s inquiry, Sir Williams replied meaningfully.

"It’s simple, Williams Team can’t afford to gamble."

Placed in the F1 Paddock, the Williams Team is definitely an old and prestigious team with a long history and heritage.

Once upon a time, it, along with Ferrari and McLaren, was called the "Big Three."

And the dominance and value of the "Big Three" far exceeded that of later substitutes like Renault Team.

The next undisputed "Big Three" era would have to wait until ten years later with Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull Racing Team.

With brand giants like Red Bull and more and more factory teams entering the paddock, the operation of private teams has become increasingly difficult. The Williams Team often teetered on the brink, completely relying on the owner’s assets to struggle on.

This means that private small teams cannot bet on the future; they must focus more on the present!

Based on this philosophy, Sir Williams recruited the "value for money" driver Barrichello. Although he was past his peak and nearing the end of his career, he still managed to secure the runner-up in the drivers’ championship last year, proving he still had the strength to compete!

Meanwhile, the second driver Nakajima Ikki had the backing of the Toyota Group, bringing funding and technical support to the Williams Team, similar to the reason Red Bull Racing signed Kakida Yuuki later on.

Unfortunately, Sir Williams had aged and lacked ambition, which led him into a series of mistakes.

Barrichello’s signing fee was indeed not expensive, but the "value for money" concept is not just about being cheap; it also has to be competitive and useful!

Purely inexpensive drivers cannot live up to the term "value for money."

This Brazilian driver, driving the Williams car, experienced a cliff-fall in form and speed, getting knocked out in Q1 for two consecutive races in the new season, drastically falling into the lower driver group.

As for Nakajima Ikki, there’s even less to say. His ability was extremely mediocre, and he only received a seat due to the Toyota Group’s influence.

Now with Toyota’s withdrawal, his performance has reached the "cutting line"!

"BOSS, if we had signed Bei back then, the situation might be completely different now."

Heide still had some regret; even if the results were still the same, at least the team would have hope.

A team with no future prospects for young drivers affects more than just results; it also impacts the mindset of the entire team.

It’s what you call "slacking off."

"There is no ’if’ in this world, and besides, there are other young potentials beyond Bei."

"We also have Hockenheim."

Sir Williams, with his own efforts, has operated a private team for decades without faltering in the paddock. How could he not know a few tricks?

Never put all your eggs in one basket. That’s Sir Williams’ life rule.

Hockenheim and Chen Xiangbei came into Sir Williams’ view almost simultaneously. Compared to last year’s not yet revealed talent, Hockenheim had already shown his championship-winning potential in GP2.

The last rookie to win the GP2 championship in their debut season was Lewis Hamilton.

German driver Hockenheim is Sir Williams’ strategic reserve, and now it’s time to activate this plan.

If Nakajima Ikki fails to score points in the race, securing results satisfactory to Sir Williams and the team management, he will exit the paddock midseason.