Chapter 510: Chapter 199: Historic Driver Strength

The race reached the fourth lap, and Chen Xiangbei finally seized the opportunity, pressing the accelerator to release kinetic energy from the flywheel, then using the slingshot effect from the slipstream to gain faster acceleration, changing lanes to overtake!

[The Chinese Kid is this fast?]

Faced with Chen Xiangbei’s aggressive attack, Alonso felt a shock inside.

It’s important to know that Chen Xiangbei had picked up the slipstream from the second lap, but Alonso was so fast that even while engaging with Hamilton in an offensive and defensive battle, he still didn’t give any opportunity for the rear car to approach and overtake.

Just like that, two laps went by, and Alonso thought the Chinese rookie dared not take risks to overtake, or perhaps the speed limit was just like this, when Chen Xiangbei showed decisiveness and speed, taking him by surprise.

The Chinese Kid wasn’t unable to catch up, nor was he afraid to overtake, he was waiting for the best moment!

“He’s overtaking! After following for two laps, Driver Bei finally launched an attack against Alonso.”

“From the acceleration, it can be seen that the Chinese rookie is very skilled in using the energy recovery system and slipstream boost; this requires extremely solid fundamental skills.”

“The front wing of car number 13 has already passed Alonso’s rear wheel; he wants to change lanes to block and force Chen Xiangbei to slow down, but that’s no longer possible. Now both are neck and neck heading towards the bend, whoever can seize the best cornering line will secure the lead position!”

Chen Xiangbei’s powerful overtaking maneuver on the track directly ignited the atmosphere on the scene.

“Whoa, can Chen Xiangbei overtake Alonso? Am I dreaming?”

“If he can truly surpass Alonso, it means Chen Xiangbei can also surpass the drivers ahead. Could it really be a debut podium scene?”

“Podium? That picture is too beautiful; I dare not imagine!”

“If Chen Xiangbei can achieve this, he will make Asian history!”

“Come on, Racing God Bei!”

On the stands, spectators who traveled from afar to watch finally could shout out loudly and freely.

It’s crucial to note that whether it was practice sessions or qualifying sessions, foreign viewers generally gave Chen Xiangbei low ratings, filled with disdain and ridicule.

Chinese spectators, limited by China’s racing heritage and Chen Xiangbei’s rookie status, did not dare have high expectations, let alone being able to brandish a flamboyant counterattack.

Now Chen Xiangbei, with his performance and speed, gave confidence to the supporters.

They too can cheer loudly and jubilantly, and flaunt themselves boldly—Chinese drivers aren’t weak at the tail end.

Chen Xiangbei has already achieved the level of challenging the strongest in the F1 Paddock!

Inside the cockpit, Chen Xiangbei couldn’t hear the fervent cheering; his ears were filled with the roar and howl of the engine, and accompanied by increased RPM and speed, his blood seemed to ignite synchronously.

Just like the spectators on the scene, he didn’t expect to challenge Alonso so quickly.

Nor did he expect the overtaking to be right in front of him!

But often, the dream is beautiful, while reality is harsh.

Even if the race car reached a parallel position, once the Ferrari F60 went full throttle, Chen Xiangbei could press the pedal to the floor but still couldn’t achieve a speed lead, instead vaguely seeing Alonso inching back ahead.

The appearance of this image signifies one thing: the Ferrari F60 is faster than the HRT Team’s TF110!

The reality is so cruel; most of the time in the F1 Paddock, big teams can easily swallow up the “Earth Group” cars.

The TF110 indeed has black technology enhancement, enabling the ability to look up at the F60.

Only during the winter testing period, the upgrade of race car parts stopped, leaving TF110 one step away from graduating to the Mars Group, just like Chen Xiangbei now, unable to surpass Alonso.

The bend is right in front, and if he doesn’t brake and decelerate, he’ll rush into the buffer zone, no matter how unwilling, Chen Xiangbei can only step on the brake and decelerate, following Alonso through the bend.

“Want to challenge Alonso? The Chinese guy really doesn’t measure up!”

“Remember, the full effort of the Chinese Kid is just Alonso’s warm-up!”

“Thinking of achieving podium with a one-position increase, really dreaming.”

“Kubica has already caught up; Bei should consider whether he can hold his position!”

Counter voices erupted again on the stands, but compared to pre-race overwhelming ridicule, the skepticism about Chen Xiangbei was surprisingly small.

The reason is simple: brainless discriminatory fans are ultimately the minority.

Many could see Chen Xiangbei trying to sling with slingshot effect yet failed to overtake Alonso on the straight before the bend; it wasn’t a skill issue.

As an F1 Driver, could he not possibly do the flooring on a straight?

If Chen Xiangbei couldn’t, he couldn’t possibly appear in the racing hall, nor shine on the same track as Alonso.

Being unable to go through isn’t a matter of poor skill; the car is too slow, and it’s not a battle fault!

“Just a little bit more speed, and Xiangbei would have gone through,”

Mizutani Sho at the outdoor control console, seeing this scene, expressed regret in his tone.

Chen Xiangbei almost reached the pinnacle by seizing the fleeting chance of Alonso and Hamilton’s tangle, yet ultimately lost due to racing performance issues.

If the TF110 were just a bit faster, Chen Xiangbei would have created a miracle.

“Indeed, it’s a real pity.”

Sawano Hiroyuki also shook his head helplessly; surpassing Alonso would undoubtedly be a sensational feat, losing at the last moment was very regrettable.

“Nothing regrettable, it’s common in the F1 Paddock.”

Odetto’s tone was utterly flat and even a bit cold.

Working in the paddock for decades, he knew many inherent disparities were there; small private teams running behind elite factory teams is normal.

And this was merely an overtaking attempt; in history, how many drivers drove slow cars fighting for the championship but ultimately failed, they still had to accept.

If Ferrari could be easily surpassed, would it still be called Ferrari?

The race continued; regret and complaints were meaningless; Odetto pressed the communication button on his headset, delivered instructions to Chen Xiangbei: “Bei, continuous attack has caused significant tire wear; remote control data shows grip has passed the peak point.”

“The rear car Kubica’s speed is fast; adjust your mindset to hold your position.”

Based on the broadcast image and racing GPS location data, the gap between Kubica and Chen Xiangbei has been closed within a 0.5-second range, ready to attack as soon as slipstream is received.

Continuing to think about surpassing Alonso to improve the ranking now is meaningless and rather unwise.

The thing Chen Xiangbei needs to do now is to adjust his state from attacking failure and switch to full defense!

“Received.”

Listening to Odetto’s instructions, looking at the Ferrari car ahead, Chen Xiangbei took a deep breath to calm his mood.

Indeed, he was unwilling, but Chen Xiangbei knew the importance of rationality and calm; the race is about 57 laps, not one overtaking!

Just after delivering the instructions, when Chen Xiangbei set the target on the back Kubica, there was an accident with the car ahead.

Starting by leveraging the Red Bull RB6 performance overtaking to second, Weber’s car engine inexplicably emitted a puff of black smoke, causing his speed to drop instantly, overtaken successively by Masa, Hamilton, and Alonso.

According to members of various teams’ strategy groups, based on his incredible start speed, it’s likely the engine was set to superpower output mode and couldn’t withstand it, facing the risk of blowing the engine.

“Bei, Weber is suspected of having car trouble, get ready to overtake without losing speed.”

Odetto’s voice came again; surpassing a slow car and yielding positions in the F1 Paddock is also a science.

Without enough experience, a rookie can easily be overtaken by rear drivers taking advantage.

Especially Kubica’s driving style is very aggressive.

Listening to Odetto’s reminder, Chen Xiangbei’s first reaction wasn’t overtaking, but thinking about whether he could pick up a wallet in his first race?

In the car circle, this kind of picking-up is termed wallet picking.

Often, fighting fiercely for overtaking is not as fast as improving by waiting for accidents or crashes ahead.

Just when Chen Xiangbei thought his luck was good, ready to surpass Weber ahead to improve his position.

The opponent, however, had no intention of yielding, directly blocking Chen Xiangbei’s overtaking line.

[What’s the meaning? Not yielding?]

Chen Xiangbei felt a bit baffled; clearly, the preceding cars all passed through, but once it’s his turn, the block is evident, targeting intent is obvious.

At this moment, the rear Kubica chased to the car’s tail, directly making Chen Xiangbei sandwiched in the center like a sandwich!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep