Car Racing without Money-Chapter 569 - 223: Hesitation Means Losing Everything

Chapter 569: Chapter 223: Hesitation Means Losing Everything

"Whoa, full throttle through T2, Chen Xiangbei really isn’t afraid of death!"

"Why be a driver if you’re afraid of death? Without this gutsy spirit, Chen Xiangbei wouldn’t have made it into F1 at all!"

"I’m quite impressed with Xiangbei; I never expected the usually conservative Chinese to have this side."

"If this goes wrong, he’ll crash straight into the wall. Driver Xiangbei really has courage."

The audience on site buzzed with discussion, and many let out exclamations of surprise.

Among those able to come and watch in person, aside from those purely supporting out of camaraderie, most understood F1 racing or the Albert Park Circuit a bit, aware of the difficulty of taking the T2 corner at full throttle.

Chen Xiangbei used this extreme method to fend off Kubica’s overtake, virtually walking on the edge of losing control.

The Chinese driver is quite fierce!

"Beautiful! Xiangbei’s line through the turn was perfect, hitting the apex while utilizing the track limits. Looks like he’s done his homework on the Albert Park Circuit."

Prost naturally praised Chen Xiangbei, noting that success in challenging limits depends not just on luck, but more on skill.

As a rookie on the track, before the Grand Prix, Chen Xiangbei was unfamiliar with the Albert Park Circuit; even with countless simulations, it couldn’t compensate for the difference between virtual and reality.

This line utilizing the track limits made it clear to Prost that Chen Xiangbei had "trained."

It’s no surprise that the Chinese kid likely tried full throttle during practice; only the presence of too many cars on track and some non-critical corners kept it under wraps from others.

On track, Kubica’s moment of distraction widened the gap even further, nearly losing the slipstream from Chen Xiangbei.

Seeing this situation, the trailing Kovalainen grew restless. Initially, he hadn’t planned on attacking Kubica, allowing the car in front to fully focus on dealing with the Chinese racer.

Who could have guessed that Kubica, touted as a championship contender, would falter at the T2 corner!

Since Kubica wasn’t up to it, Kovalainen decided not to hold back anymore and overtake for his own attack.

It’s important to note that Kovalainen isn’t a weak driver; entering F1 as a GP2 runner-up, right behind champion Rosberg that year.

During his rookie season, Kovalainen easily outpaced veteran Fisichella, hailed as the heir to Finland’s third-generation champion drivers.

It’s just unfortunate that he was teammates with Hamilton during his rise, only to be outclassed by the new black rookie!

People of this era didn’t have Chen Xiangbei’s godlike foresight, and couldn’t predict Hamilton’s future as a seven-time champion legend.

By the standards of that time, if a third-year can’t outperform a first-year rookie, you’re undoubtedly a poor driver!

Kovalainen was thus ousted from McLaren Team, reduced to a member of lower-tier teams, with a fractured mindset due to external criticism and personal flaws, struggling to find his footing in the F1 paddock.

It was only through Raikkonen’s connections that a team seat was introduced to him.

This is why Kovalainen harbors such animosity toward Chen Xiangbei.

Raikkonen was practically a "rebirth parent" in his career.

Though Kovalainen’s reputation crumbled, he can actually be seen as a "Bottas" replica, still possessing absolute speed.

Giving it all to launch an offensive, he’s not easy to block.

"FUCK, what’s wrong with Kubica turning from attacking driver Xiangbei to defending Kovalainen?"

Seeing the track’s evolving dynamics, Renault Team principal Blair found it unbearable.

During the opening race, Kubica’s first overtaking mistake could be blamed on being caught off guard as nobody understood Chen Xiangbei yet, nor expected such capability from a Chinese rookie.

The wheel-to-wheel count during qualifying had already tarnished Kubica’s image.

But that was just qualifying; the real showdown is the race proper.

Being left behind by Chen Xiangbei again, Blair couldn’t come up with any more excuses.

Renault Team signed Kubica, viewing him as the next Alonso and intending to build the team around him, but now he’s seated alongside Lotus Team’s Kovalainen, causing an uproar within Renault Team management.

"Principal, I think Kubica has a psychological issue; his hesitation during the acceleration phase after the corner was evident."

"Even after a failed overtake, this shouldn’t happen; consecutive losses have severely impacted him."

Manager Nelson was spot on; Kubica teetered on the edge of a mental breakdown.

"Momentum" is an elusive concept, often seeming like some kind of metaphysics.

But it undeniably exists!

Successive defeats sapped Kubica’s subconscious confidence in his overtaking victories.

Coupled with the opening race’s mishap, he instinctively hesitated to clash hard with Chen Xiangbei in a full-throttle corner showdown.

Hesitation means you yield!

In an F1 car running at speeds of hundreds of kilometers, even a 0.1-second hesitation will leave you far behind the car ahead.

In contrast, Chen Xiangbei shattered the once-revered aura around F1 drivers, forging an unstoppable self-confidence.

From the start, he firmly believed he could take down Kubica!

Taking advantage of the tussle between Kubica and Kovalainen, Chen Xiangbei gave his all to chase the car ahead, Trulli.

T3, T4, T5...

As he maneuvered through each bend, the gap between Chen Xiangbei and Trulli steadily decreased.

Perhaps feeling the pressure from his teammate behind, Trulli opted not to follow closely to conserve his tires, instead launching a fierce attack on the car ahead, Rosberg.