Car Racing without Money-Chapter 567 - 222: The Chinese Kid Has Gone Crazy

"Beep, beep, beep."

With the sound, five starting signal lights lit up one after another, and as they turned off, the cars in the front row started, followed by each car warming up the tires.

Due to overcast skies on Sunday, the temperature in Melbourne, Australia wasn’t very high, with ground temperatures maintaining just over twenty degrees Celsius, providing a favorable temperature range for the race cars.

However, for the drivers, the temperature was still somewhat high.

The main reason is the heavy fireproof racing suits, coupled with increased air humidity, which could easily make one feel stuffy.

Chen Xiangbei followed behind Trulli. Although the two were currently in a "rival" state, it wasn’t to the extent of being true enemies, provoking each other with actions.

The car behind, Kubica, was also warming up his tires properly. Driving "dirty" does not equate to being "dirty" as a person.

The F1 paddock is filled with scenes of torpedoing, "drawing dragons," line-snatching, and even collisions, but truly escalating to character issues is still rare. Kubica and Chen Xiangbei ultimately rely on performance and speed.

Compared to Kubica, the mentality of Kovalainen further back was completely different.

He genuinely considers Chen Xiangbei as an enemy!

If Finland’s world champion Hakkinen was Raikkonen’s mentor, then Raikkonen was Kovalainen’s guide.

As the saying goes, "A drop of water should be reciprocated with a spring." How could Kovalainen tolerate the Chinese guy, Chen Xiangbei, repeatedly bothering his benefactor?

Furthermore, before the race, Kovalainen secretly took a sip of vodka, stimulating his emotions even more.

Alcohol is clearly classified as a "banned substance" by the FIA, but there is no pre-race alcohol test, and theoretically, no driver would be so reckless as to take a sip before the race.

But that’s just in theory.

In reality, seventies driver Henry, the prototype for the movie "Rush," often drank before the race and reportedly indulged in drugs.

Even Kimi Raikkonen was once severely suspected of drunk driving.

Kovalainen wasn’t actually at the level of alcoholism. Normally, he wouldn’t take a sip before a race.

This race was purely driven by emotions. He had to defeat Chen Xiangbei to prove Finland’s drivers’ strength and make the Chinese newcomer understand he wasn’t worthy of being mentioned alongside Kimi Raikkonen!

"Professor, I have a feeling that today, not only will there be fierce competition at the front of the pack, but the midfield group will also be full of tension."

Australian commentator Red glanced at the starting order, revealing a look of anticipation. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Chen Xiangbei’s position is practically a powder keg. If Trulli doesn’t plan on helping, the midfield group’s battle after the start will explode directly, potentially leading to a collective retirement due to collisions!

"That’s right, China has a saying, ’The tree that stands out will be blown by the wind.’

"North has been very eye-catching in these two races, but he’s drawn a lot of criticism and rivalry, and he needs the results to prove he can stand firm in the paddock."

Prost nodded in response, remarking that Chen Xiangbei’s situation now is very similar to Hamilton’s a few years ago.

Exotic, flamboyant, tough...

However, the 08 world championship changed all that, making Hamilton the focus within the paddock, with no driver daring to underestimate him, and eliminating the prejudice that black people could not drive F1 cars.

Chen Xiangbei needs to walk the path Hamilton did to earn real respect.

"Professor, do you think North can do it?"

"Who knows?"

Prost shrugged his shoulders, implying support for Chen Xiangbei did not mean unconditional support.

Not to mention breaking through challenges alone, many prodigies can’t escape the high start and low finish, failing to establish themselves in the F1 paddock.

Chen Xiangbei’s career is destined to be long and challenging.

Even as the two commentators chatted, the warm-up lap of over a minute was completed, and twenty-four cars lined up neatly on the starting grid.

The engine sound roared to the skies, stirring the drivers’ adrenaline and the on-site spectators’ emotions, as cheers and screams echoed.

But all the drivers’ gazes were locked onto the starting lights above the track. Chen Xiangbei prepared his clutch control, aiming for the fastest start and to attack and surpass his teammate Trulli ahead.

Only by turning Trulli into a "scapegoat" to block the cars behind could Chen Xiangbei minimize the collision risk and single-mindedly focus on tire management, or possibly challenge Rosberg again.

As soon as the lights went out, Chen Xiangbei shot forward like an arrow released, with Trulli on the right equally quick, their start speeds practically identical, as he immediately executed a blocking maneuver.

Veteran drivers who have been in the paddock for over ten years undoubtedly have their tricks.

Chen Xiangbei’s intentions were crystal clear to Trulli.

Don’t forget; he had experienced internal struggles with Alonso, his experience in this area far richer than Chen Xiangbei’s.

The trailing cars, Kubica and Kovalainen, had slightly slower starts but still bit behind Chen Xiangbei’s tail, not falling off in the long starting straight, remaining in the attacking range for the T1 corner.

Faced with this situation, Chen Xiangbei realized he had limited time for an overtake, so he simply floored the pedal, crazily upshifting and accelerating. The Toyota engine’s RPM immediately broke through seventeen thousand, rushing to the nineteen thousand mark.

The surge in speed brought an enormous feeling of thrust, reaching a hundred in 2 seconds and two hundred in 5 seconds, pressing Chen Xiangbei firmly in his seat, as the F1 unleashed its performance as the strongest racing car on the planet.