Free Web NovelChapter 754: Chapter 306: Incomprehensible Strategy
"Kubica, can’t you overtake?"
Seeing Kubica trailing Chen Xiangbei for two laps without breaking through the opponent’s defense, Renault team leader Blair was genuinely anxious this time.
Blair had always known that Chen Xiangbei was talented; otherwise, being one of the "Three Royal Families" teams back then, they wouldn’t have extended the olive branch to the Chinese kid, even if it was just offering a test driver position.
However, at that time, Chen Xiangbei was a backup option; the team’s real core development was focused on Kubica.
Even though Chen Xiangbei was talented, in Blair’s mind, at least at that time, he couldn’t compare to Kubica in the slightest.
It’s important to know that even Hamilton feared this contemporary teammate, while Rosberg didn’t catch the eye of the youngest world champion in history.
But as time went on, the speed of Chen Xiangbei’s growth became increasingly terrifying. Blair had comforted himself more than once, thinking Kubica wouldn’t be worse than the Chinese kid, maybe just that the other was in better form and the HRT racing car had better performance.
Yet there’s no excuse for this stop; the Renault car’s performance should be neck and neck with the reduced-power HRT car. Kubica also has the absolute advantage of the tires, with no reason not to overtake Chen Xiangbei in the cold tire state!
The reality was so cruel; two laps had passed and Kubica still couldn’t overtake. As Chen Xiangbei’s tires reached optimal temperature, in addition to the fuel consumption lightening the vehicle’s weight, the scale would increasingly tilt towards the Chinese kid.
In another lap, Kubica would be completely hopeless.
"I... I don’t know."
Kubica felt Blair’s urgency; truth be told, he was now even more anxious than the Renault leader.
It’s just that he really couldn’t understand why his every overtaking attempt was anticipated and blocked by Chen Xiangbei. Did the opponent have the ability to foresee the future?
"Leader, you can’t pressure Kubica anymore."
Feeling the tension in the tone, Nelson, the director beside him, advised Blair.
Kubica only entered F1 in late 2006 as a substitute driver, and he hadn’t quite completed three full years in F1. By future standards, he could be described as an ungraduated third-year student.
Clearly, Kubica was in a state of daze; he couldn’t find a way to break through Chen Xiangbei, resulting in his "I don’t know" answer.
If Blair continued to apply pressure, it would be forcing Kubica to gamble with his life!
Nelson understood the personality of this Polish driver; he wasn’t soft but truly dared to risk his life for speed and achievement.
A mere substation race’s points zone, should really the team’s core and future hope be pressured into irrational actions?
Listening to Nelson’s persuasion, Blair calmed down.
He took a deep breath, then pressed the headset communication button and said, "Kubica, just follow the car and wait for an opportunity."
"COPY."
Kubica’s response came through the headset; he knew being anxious was useless in this situation, and could only continue pursuing and pressuring, waiting for Chen Xiangbei to make a mistake himself.
The question is, even old hands like Barrichello hadn’t succeeded in pressuring, could a third-year guy like Kubica manage it?
The answer was self-evident.
"Blair, Xiangbei’s adaptation to Lingyan Circuit this stop vaguely feels like at the East Sea Circuit; Kubica hasn’t managed to be this familiar."
Being able to anticipate and block the overtaking routes isn’t some omniscient prophetic miracle.
Instead, at certain speed ranges, there are only a few routes available for overtaking. Going at an inappropriate speed or taking an unsuitable route, the result is either failing to overtake, or running off the track, with no third option.
To know what speed fits which route, one must have intimate familiarity with the circuit.
Nelson didn’t understand how, as a new F1 Grand Prix host circuit, Chen Xiangbei managed to have "home advantage" at Lingyan Circuit.
Faced with this issue, Blair couldn’t answer either; from the day this Chinese kid entered the F1 Paddock, he was shrouded in wonder and mystery!
If Chen Xiangbei could know Renault’s management thoughts, he would explain it using a sentence from the Chinese classic "Selling Oil Man."
"I have no other skill, just skilled hands."
Chen Xiangbei was the only driver among all teams who spent a great deal to bring a racing simulator to the circuit, and from the moment he arrived in South Korea’s Lingyan Circuit on Wednesday, Chen Xiangbei spent no less than ten hours daily on simulator training.
Even during Perez’s training, Chen Xiangbei sat next to him watching, learning, and discussing different routing methods.
Honestly, Chen Xiangbei didn’t think his talent was vastly superior to Kubica’s.
This Polish driver, though lacking a world champion title, was the first young driver pre-signed by Ferrari, and after a car accident, relying on one hand to win the Touring Car World Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours Championship; his talent couldn’t fall out of the top tier.
But one thing Chen Xiangbei could confirm was that he was certainly more diligent than the current Kubica!
When the talent between both parties isn’t fundamentally different, it comes down to who works harder, who dedicates more time to training, who runs more laps on the simulator to familiarize with the circuit. ƒrēewebnovel.com
In the future, there’s an example where Verstappen and Hamilton swap talents but keep their personalities and behaviors unchanged; the ultimate winner would still be Verstappen.
Because their commitment and efforts towards racing weren’t equal; Verstappen truly made his profession a hobby, rather than making his hobby a profession.
