Car Racing without Money-Chapter 592 - 233: Arrogance Is the Original Sin of Failure
"There are less than five laps left in the race, what makes Chen Xiangbei able to surpass Alonso?"
"A driver who profits from malicious collisions is simply a disgrace to F1 even if he takes the podium!"
Opposition voices began to spread in the stands, creating fierce clashes with the supporters.
Regardless of outside acknowledgment, the controversial and talked-about Chen Xiangbei gradually became the "traffic center" within the paddock.
Supporters see him as the only hope for Chinese and even Asian drivers, filled with admiration and hope for him.
Opponents wish Chen Xiangbei would immediately roll back to China, making him understand that the paddock is not a place for impudence!
The public opinion trend surrounding Chen Xiangbei truly embodies the "black and red" phenomenon of the later internet era...
Certainly, Chen Xiangbei on the track cannot be distracted by what the spectators are saying.
Alonso in the leading car feels the same.
At this moment, both of them are focused on each other, with Chen Xiangbei waiting for an overtaking opportunity, and Alonso being unwilling to give the Chinese newcomer any chance.
A fierce offensive and defensive battle unfolds, although Chen Xiangbei sets the overtaking point at turn 3, prior to that he needs to mount continuous attacks to make Alonso feel threatened and pressured, or else he will not leave the extreme racing line.
This offense and defense competition relies solely on basic skills and hard strength.
Shortly after a few rounds of engagement, whether Alonso feels pressure is unknown, but Chen Xiangbei certainly feels his strength.
As the driver with the strongest hard skills currently in the paddock, Alonso’s defense can be described as "airtight," and Chen Xiangbei’s every attack is anticipated and precisely blocked before the overtaking line.
Throughout F1’s long history, many discussions have emerged about who the strongest driver is.
Regardless if it’s Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton, or Verstappen, they at least start with three or four world championship titles.
Only Alonso contends for the GOTA status in racing with just two world championship titles!
It is generally agreed that Alonso belongs to a similar type as Schumacher, a hexagonal warrior, where no apparent weaknesses in driving skills are found.
Yet, his character coupled with his luck in choosing teams meant that after 07, Alonso never drove a top-tier fast car in the paddock again.
Even during his luckiest periods, he only drove the third-fastest car.
Even if Alonso was the first to claim he had a built-in 0.5-second speed advantage, it couldn’t counteract the car slowing it down by 0.5 seconds and beyond.
Now, the Ferrari he drives is the standard third-fastest car in the paddock, yet he manages to join forces with Schumacher to tightly pursue the fastest Red Bull and McLaren, even causing Vettel to make oppressive mistakes.
Against such powerful foes and watertight defense, besides being amazed, Chen Xiangbei has an irrepressible passion inside him!
Only by challenging the strong can one feel the charm of racing and make oneself stronger.
Just like a dream unmocked lacks its realization’s significance.
The victory lacking in stepping over the strong similarly lacks gold content.
Alonso is the highest-value ladder to ascend within the F1 paddock!
The two cars move forward, one behind the other, the scene of Chen Xiangbei’s blocked offensive catching the attention of engineers from various teams in the pit stations.
Among them, most exhibit a composed expression.
Alonso isn’t some world runner-up, nor merely a title contender; he is a real WDC (World Champion).
Even in a duel between semi-wet and soft tire, Alonso can block Chen Xiangbei; this is the hard strength of a world champion!
Only Ross Brown from the Mercedes Team and the test engineer Field feel a mix of feelings seeing this scene, Chen Xiangbei’s growth speed has become visibly noticeable, who would have thought he could challenge Alonso at the season’s start?
"Manager, do you regret it?"
Field quietly asked Ross Brown.
The two have come from Ferrari Team to Toyota, then through Brawn GP and Mercedes, indicating a deep mutual understanding.
For financial injection and technical support, Ross Brown chose to collaborate with Mercedes, recruiting two German drivers Schumacher and Rosberg.
In fact, amidst this process, he had countless chances to sign Chen Xiangbei.
Looking at the current situation, Rosberg pales in comparison to Chen Xiangbei.
Schumacher’s age and injuries lead to a decline and instability in his condition. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
The magnitude and strength of Mercedes are destined not to settle for being a mid-tier team.
Yet to become a "Top Three" level paddock lead team, both the car and the driver are indispensable, extremely needing a potential driver to become the core nurturing focus and future leading figure.
With Chen Xiangbei’s talent and strength, he was originally the best choice.
Now all that remains is the regret of missing out.
Faced with Field’s inquiry, Ross Brown smiled without providing an answer.
There is no such thing as regret or remorse in the paddock, for no one is God, able to foresee a driver’s development trajectory.
Chen Xiangbei indeed is excellent, but if Ross Brown were to choose again, he wouldn’t change his decision.
The reason is simple, in F1 most of the time, three skews towards humans, seven towards cars.
Only after Mercedes’s investment can it refrain from relying on luck, utilizing development strength to build one title-contending car after another.
Indeed, history proves this, within a few years, the era of the Mercedes Dynasty will arrive.
