Car Racing without Money-Chapter 588 - 231: More Than Competition on the Track (Part 2)
Of course, arguing over something that hasn’t happened is meaningless; whether Chen Xiangbei can hold out until that time is in question.
Chen Xiangbei’s race on the track is anything but smooth; at this moment, he is driving with great struggle!
The slippery track and flooding make the treadless "slick tires" completely turn into a surfboard skimming across the water, putting the whole car at risk of losing control at any moment.
Especially during turns, he has to continuously correct the steering wheel to ensure precise lines.
It’s well-known that the F1 lap time differences are basically concentrated on the turns.
After all, anyone can press the accelerator on the straights; being fast in the turns is truly fast!
Any correction, even if it wastes a mere hundredth of a second, adds up over a dozen turns, slowing the lap speed by 0.5 to 1 second.
Chen Xiangbei’s initial goal was to maintain speed at least equal to the car ahead, Alonso, for the hell-level three laps, then take advantage of the faster 2-3 second per lap tire performance to overtake once the track dries.
But things didn’t go as planned; maintaining parity was impossible, he was over a second slower per lap!
"Stop raining already..."
Mizutani Sho muttered to himself, occasionally stretching out his hand from under the awning to feel the rain’s change.
More than a minute had passed, and the rain had indeed lessened to a fine drizzle but hadn’t stopped completely!
Given current weather radar and supercomputer capabilities, calculating rain volume to the minute level is still impossible; the conditions for Chen Xiangbei’s plan are too stringent.
Another lap passes, and as Chen Xiangbei exits the pit lane, an Indian Force car appears behind him, driven by driver number 15, Sutil.
It’s not that Chen Xiangbei was slow enough for the other to catch up, but he had lapped Sutil!
"Lapping" is an F1 technical term, meaning the leading car is ahead by one lap or more, and the two meet again on the track.
Thanks to speed and excellent long-distance performance, coupled with two very efficient pit stops by the technician team, the top four drivers, including Chen Xiangbei, had essentially lapped drivers in the mid-lower sections.
Regarding lapping Sutil, Chen Xiangbei felt no psychological ripple; Indian Force, Lotus, and Virgin were the three teams with the weakest performance this season, especially Virgin, which was as slow as a tractor.
As long as the front-row teams perform normally, they can complete the lapping smoothly within fifty to sixty laps; it doesn’t have much to do with driver skill, purely because the FIA’s expansion led to significant performance gaps between cars.
Chen Xiangbei had no thoughts on the matter, but that didn’t mean Sutil didn’t.
Being crashed out during practice was etched in his mind.
Though post-race investigation deemed it an accident with no intentional elements from Chen Xiangbei, leaving neither responsible.
But Sutil knew very well the Chinese man’s strange sudden speed-up was meant to smash his front wing.
This grudge must be repaid!
Sutil thus followed closely behind Chen Xiangbei’s car, and after a few turns, he noticed the car ahead crazily correcting its lines, indicating severe slipping of the car.
The slick tires couldn’t grip the ground; he had a chance to catch up and overtake.
Realizing this possibility, Sutil felt a rush of excitement, a wave of "revenge" thrill sweeping through him.
The Indian Force car suddenly accelerated, taking advantage of better grip from half-wet tires, and the two cars’ speeds were constantly closing.
Feeling something unusual, Mizutani Sho asked, "Odetto, team leader, Sutil’s speed seems a bit off; is he trying to overtake Xiangbei-kun?"
Normally, a lapped driver doesn’t have "right of passage"; they need to give way to cars in an active race, or they face penalties.
But that’s mostly in scenarios where fast cars overtake slower ones; Chen Xiangbei being chased by slower cars is rare and unusual.
Despite being able to lap, how could one be chased and overtaken by the other?
However, this situation isn’t completely unheard of, like the famous scene where Verstappen pushed Ocon in the weigh-in, where they almost came to blows — it was due to a lapping incident.
At the time, Verstappen was running a lap ahead of Ocon, and the back runner had changed to a new set of tires out of the pit lane, possessing better grip and speed, starting a "counterlap" attack on Red Bull Racing.
Verstappen, then known as "the turret," was at a crucial moment in contending for a stage win, faced with Ocon trying to overtake him, flew into a rage, holding the belief of who gives way becomes a grandson.
Since neither wanted to be the "grandson," unsurprisingly, they collided in turns, leading to Verstappen losing the lead and Ocon being penalized with a ten-second penalty.
Now, Chen Xiangbei’s situation is very similar to a "lapping" incident from later times.
The car behind, Sutil, with half-wet tires has greater speed, while the car ahead, Chen Xiangbei, holds the lapping advantage; add the personal grudge between the two, and it’s bound to be another struggle of "who gives way becomes a grandson."
"He’s definitely trying to overtake Xiangbei."
Odetto quietly responds and then presses the communication button on the headset.
However, he doesn’t speak with Chen Xiangbei individually but through the team’s public channel, issuing orders to Trulli.
"Trulli, attack the car ahead, Sutil, help Xiangbei open up a safe space."
Since he lost the internal competition to Chen Xiangbei, Trulli was tasked with blocking Rosberg, causing his speed and ranking to fall.
Combined with the wait for a double pit stop and tire change errors, along with Trulli’s long-distance disadvantage and struggle in wet races, he has dropped far behind Sutil, also being lapped by Chen Xiangbei.
Odetto isn’t worried that Sutil, a defeated opponent, could pose any substantial threat to Chen Xiangbei.
He only guards against the opponent conceiving "malice," launching a kamikaze double-car retreat.
To avoid unnecessary risks, it’s best to have Trulli act as the sacrificial lamb to delay.
Unknowingly, Odetto and Briatore made the same decision.
This is the cruelty and ruthlessness of competitive sports!
"COPY."
Responding unemotionally, Trulli speeds up to attack Sutil.
Once on the poker table, one must be prepared to lose; since he can’t outrun Chen Xiangbei, he must accept the fate of being the second driver.
Moreover, Trulli knows deep within that he’s lost to Chen Xiangbei more than once.
Counting the abrupt winter competition, he’s actually lost twice!
At the front, Chen Xiangbei hears the internal team communication in his headset; only then does he notice through the spray from the car’s rear that Trulli is also behind him.
Originally, Chen Xiangbei planned not to pay attention to Sutil; there’s no competition between them, why take a roadside battle seriously?
Mostly, he thinks about avoiding him and focusing on catching up with Alonso ahead.
But realizing that Sutil is "unrelenting" and with Trulli behind, Chen Xiangbei decides to change his mind.
He plans to "eradicate completely"!
Counterlapping, how dare you?
"Trulli, dual-car strategy, prepare for overtaking."
Chen Xiangbei alerts Trulli through internal team communication.
"What?"
Struck by this remark from Chen Xiangbei, Trulli instinctively freezes.
Undoubtedly, what Chen Xiangbei intended to convey was his plan to slow down to pressure the car, allowing Trulli to overtake Sutil.
Undoubtedly right now, Chen Xiangbei is in a crucial stage of chasing Alonso; slowing down to pressure the car would waste at least 0.5 seconds per lap.
Furthermore, if coordination fails or if Sutil grits his teeth for a "torpedo," it would be utterly disadvantageous for Chen Xiangbei.
From both team and personal interest perspectives, Odetto’s directive was correct.
Having the second driver or wingman hold off the threat any opponent poses to the first driver, achieving better results smoothly.
Yet now Chen Xiangbei instead goes against this logic to help him overtake?
"Trulli, at the upcoming corner, I’ll pressure Sutil’s line, seize the opportunity!"
Interruption by a voice shakes Trulli out of his surprise and shock.
"Roger that."
The situation doesn’t allow for hesitation; Trulli presses the call button to respond to Chen Xiangbei.
But after saying this, he doesn’t immediately release the communication button on the steering wheel.
Instead, he supplements with: "Xiangbei, thank you." with mixed emotions.
F1 is a team game; to win ultimately means there aren’t just competition and intrigues on the track.
Many times, teammates are also there.
