Time reached 13:58 in the afternoon, Chen Xiangbei and Trulli both sat in their cars. Accompanied by the rotation of the external start motor, the Toyota engine roared like a waking dragon.

The numbers on the electronic timing board jumped second by second. When it reached 14:00, the exit signal light turned green, marking the start of the three qualifying sessions over the next hour!

“Trulli, head out first.”

Odetto immediately issued the team instructions, directing Trulli to start his flying lap first.

Even though he didn’t say the comforting words, in practice, Odetto was considering Trulli’s adaptation situation.

Running one more flying lap could help better familiarize and control the car.

“COPY.”

Trulli simply replied and accelerated out of the pit.

Chen Xiangbei stayed put; his practice lap times had already proven that there was no risk of being eliminated in Q1, so he could wait until the end of the qualifying session to run a flying lap.

Of course, there was another purpose to this strategy, which was to protect the engine.

The super power mode’s strain on engine longevity was beyond imagination; just a few flying laps could push it to the critical point where it might blow up.

Alternatively, it’s another way of saying that F1, these “monsters” built for the track, are inherently under extreme pressure to reduce weight and enhance speed and performance to the limit.

Even without the super power mode, the power unit often teeters on the edge of blowing up.

Never mind the average breakdown rate in later F1 races being about ten to twenty percent each race.

In fact, early F1 breakdown rates could reach a staggering thirty percent or higher!

This is why Prost earned the title of “Professor,” strongly advocating for a conservative style.

The reason was that in early F1 races, many times you just had to finish the race to smoothly earn points, so why risk everything?

Conversely, this is proof of Senna’s greatness.

He didn’t yield to finishing safely for the points but pursued speed and defeating opponents!

Chen Xiangbei sat in the F1 cockpit, looking up at the screen showing the lap time rankings, while A-Yong and Brother Lei held hairdryers pointed at the TF110 car’s air intake for active engine cooling.

As time passed, the screen displayed one driver’s name after another, along with the lap times they posted.

The name at the top was Hamilton, with McLaren Team listed.

The famous “Liu Yiquan” from later years showcased his talent with absolute speed, alongside one of the top-performing McLaren cars, ready for the few top lap times as long as he pushed.

Hamilton’s fastest lap was 1:32.655, still slower than his third practice session.

This was quite normal, limited by track traffic conditions and tire grip environment, the first qualifying session usually doesn’t yield particularly amazing times, getting faster as the session progresses!

In just about half a minute, Hamilton’s fastest lap was snatched by Kubica.

This childhood rival also had the talent for absolute speed but was limited by the performance of the Renault car.

Certainly, matching Hamilton’s limits was tough, but the fastest lap wasn’t a problem.

Of course, Kubica’s top position didn’t last long, as Vettel, Schumacher, Alonso, and even Barrichello all surpassed him.

The fastest lap was like a revolving door, constantly changing drivers.

The four major teams were strong, but small teams had the chance to challenge and even defeat them in the early half of the season.

The reason was that small teams lagged more due to mid-season upgrades not catching up with the big teams.

Early-season prototype cars relied on a genius designer’s whim!

As the first qualifying session approached its end, McLaren’s Jenson Button hit the top position with a lap time of 1:32.577, very close to Schumacher’s season record of 1:32.238.

Honestly, when this lap time appeared, many team members inside the paddock were surprised.

Button, though having won the world championship in ’09, wasn’t known for outstanding single-lap speed.

During the 2010 new season, Button’s performance was quite average, being overshadowed by his teammate Hamilton, not showing the strength he should have as the defending champion.

Most outsiders believed that Button won with Brawn GP’s Mars Rover, destined to be a fleeting champion.

Yet in the East Sea Grand Prix, he unexpectedly stepped up?

Only Chen Xiangbei wasn’t surprised, his expression was calm.

Because he knew that historically, the 2010 East Sea Grand Prix champion was taken by Button through a rain race!

Every driver had their preferred tracks and environments, and Button’s rain race skills were exceptional, almost matching top-tier GOTA-level drivers.

Moreover, he was equally skilled at East Sea International Circuit, having won here in ’09.

Back then, outsiders attributed his victory more to the car.

Now, with the qualifying session demanding real skills, Button certainly wouldn’t hide his capabilities, bringing out his abilities to prove himself as the defending champion!

“Bay, prepare to head out.”

Odetto’s voice cut through Chen Xiangbei’s reverie, the first qualifying session already counting down, with only time for one flying lap left.

“Received.”

He replied simply, Chen Xiangbei saw the green light for the start signal and accelerated out of the garage.

As the black-orange number 13 HRT car appeared on the main track, a thunderous applause and cheers erupted at the venue.

“Chen Xiangbei is out, go for it!”

“Chen Xiangbei, take pole position, prove Chinese drivers aren’t inferior!”

“Once the Chinese driver Bei, future world car god Bei!”

“Go for it, Xiangbei!”

The cheers were endless, making the commentators Li Bing and Sha Tong in the studio feel a wave of sound.

“No wonder he’s the home driver, Xiangbei is so popular at East Sea International Circuit.”

Sha Tong said with a laugh in his opening remark. Being initially a sports journalist, and due to the scarcity of race commentators on CCTV, he became an F1 Chinese Grand Prix commentator.

“The scene with 200,000 home crowd spectators is rare worldwide. It reminds me of Xiangbei at Australia Island running the Grand Prix, with the entire audience going crazy for him.”

Li Bing commented nostalgically, not expecting to see a Chinese driver racing at East Sea Circuit so soon.

Chen Xiangbei truly created miracles and the history of Chinese racing!

“Xiangbei’s practice lap times were very fast, although surpassed by a few drivers at the last minute, the speed gap remained within a slight 0.2 second range.”

“Old Sha, what’s your prediction for Xiangbei’s qualifying result?”

After briefly marveling, Li Bing shifted the topic to the race.

“I hope he’ll be in the top five.”

It’s about Chen Xiangbei personally, not the entire group.

As a traditional CCTV host, Sha Tong’s prediction was quite cautious, not setting overly high expectations.

“Old Sha, you’ve interviewed Xiangbei twice. If he were to answer this question, what do you think his answer would be?”

Listening to Li Bing’s counterquestion, a smile appeared on Sha Tong’s lips involuntarily.

Chen Xiangbei’s face filled with confidence and resolve, and the words spoken during interviews echo in his ears.

Being timid is not his style; expressing one’s sharpness is the image he wants.

Even if he loses, at least he’ll boast first!

“Pole position; Chen Xiangbei’s only goal is first place!”

Sha Tong declared decisively, believing if Chen Xiangbei were asked, he would give the same answer.

“It truly fits Chen Xiangbei’s personality; having the strength and results should be flaunted recklessly.”

“Let’s wait and see, the F1 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, from the home Chinese driver Chen Xiangbei, can he attain this history-making pole position!”

With Li Bing’s sentence, Chen Xiangbei completed his warm-up lap and started his flying lap at full throttle across the starting line.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei had few distractions in his mind, focusing only on the track ahead.

He would show the world Chinese speed!

“`

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep