Car Racing without Money

Chapter 755: Chapter 306: Unfathomable Strategy (Part 2)

I, Chen Xiangbei, have familiarized myself with the lines on the simulator hundreds of times, so how can you, Kubica, become more familiar just by relying on a few hours of practice sessions without even completing a lap?

Unless your talent crushes mine, achieving more with less effort is impossible.

Unfortunately, your talent doesn’t necessarily surpass mine!

With no way to launch another offensive, Kubica could only watch as Chen Xiangbei, whose tires had reached operating temperature, gradually widened the gap.

[Still can’t do it?]

Kubica asked himself, thinking that this race was his chance to regain ground, believing Chen Xiangbei’s No. 13 car’s performance had declined.

Now it seems more like a dream!

In contrast to the improved situation for Chen Xiangbei, Perez’s situation has already collapsed.

Positioned in the rear, Schumacher seized the opportunity to overtake Perez after a lap of pursuit, effortlessly, without any intense defense or entanglement, as if everything was going with the flow.

After all, even during his peak later in his career, Perez wasn’t particularly known for speed, often winning through long-distance stability, let alone now in his rookie phase.

Facing the "elderly" Schumacher, without the advantage of tires, he simply couldn’t withstand the King’s offensive.

Ladies and gentlemen, the race has reached the 25th lap and is about to go halfway. The situation on the track has stabilized, with most drivers focusing their tactics on long-distance tire conservation.

However, I notice one detail: the distance of HRT’s Driver Bei is gradually closing in on teammate Perez’s. I’m genuinely curious whether these two drivers will once again engage in a tussle or cooperate.

As they say, it’s between rivals and allies, just in a blink of an eye!

Red’s monitoring data was correct. Chen Xiangbei had reduced the gap from 2.54 seconds after exiting the pit to 1.97 seconds, and the distance continued to shrink.

Once they get within one second, Chen Xiangbei has a chance to catch Perez’s slipstream and enter traditional attack range.

However, the relationship between Chen Xiangbei and Perez has flipped several times during this race, making it impossible even for commentators to predict their actions.

The race is just approaching its midpoint, and I don’t think the HRT Team would engage in internal strife.

Indeed, internal strife at this point benefits neither driver.

Using yellow tires from the start suggests the HRT Team’s one-stop strategy; this set of white tires must last the entire race. Will they senselessly wear down the tires?

Shit, the HRT Team’s two drivers are sure to cooperate again!

Spectators in the stands began to discuss, with the majority believing Chen Xiangbei and Perez would cooperate again.

Although the hard white tires slowed wear, running over thirty laps on one set remains challenging, prioritizing tire conservation. Internal fighting would only increase tire wear.

Moreover, as car number one, Chen Xiangbei can reduce tire consumption by slipstream cruising behind Perez, aligning with both the team’s and his interests.

All in all, dual-car cruising currently seems the best solution.

By lap twenty-six, the gap narrowed to 1.67 seconds, with Chen Xiangbei steadily accelerating. frёewebnoѵēl.com

By lap twenty-seven, the gap unexpectedly reduced to 1.13 seconds, indicating Chen Xiangbei was pushing.

By lap twenty-eight, Chen Xiangbei directly closed in on Perez’s car, with the smallest distance between the two cars around 0.5 seconds.

Leading his teammate by 0.5 seconds in a single lap, this scene surprised everyone on-site. Was Perez’s cruising and tire conservation speed too slow, or was Chen Xiangbei pushing too hard to slipstream?

Gazing at the No. 13 teammate’s car in the rearview mirror, Perez’s expression was very serious.

His intuition told him this time Chen Xiangbei’s approach wasn’t for slipstream drafting but to execute a rapid overtake!

Honestly, Perez is deeply grateful to the team and Chen Xiangbei. If it were another big team, he would barely qualify to duel with the number one driver and would never be prioritized during pit stops for tire changes.

In some sense, the HRT Team has provided absolute fairness.

But gratitude doesn’t equate to giving up; a driver’s only way to prove their value is through results.

Without results, no matter how harmoniously one gets along with the team and teammates, they can’t escape being discarded.

Just like Bottas in later years, diligently following team orders. Despite pairing with Hamilton, he maintained the only friendly relationship among former teammates, yet was only offered one-year contracts despite achieving world runner-up results.

And when he slightly declined with age, Mercedes unhesitatingly chose the younger, more promising Russell.

Perez understands this well; no matter how much he understands and appreciates, he will still do his utmost to hold off Chen Xiangbei.

There will always only be one victor!

Just as Perez intuitively expected, after Chen Xiangbei entered the attack zone, he didn’t slipstream like a train but instead suddenly changed lanes, using the slingshot effect to execute a catapult overtake.

The appearance of this fierce offensive indeed overturned many people’s expectations.

They all thought the HRT Team would execute a dual-car strategy, conserving tires for the final battle.

Yet just over half the race, Chen Xiangbei went on the offensive against his teammate?

Damn, I really can’t understand the HRT Team. Are the two drivers engaging in a love-hate relationship?

What’s the HRT Team’s strategy group doing, why does it feel like their instructions are contradictory, do they want the drivers to collaborate or compete?

I feel perhaps the HRT Team’s strategy group didn’t give any instructions, leaving the drivers to freely express themselves!

Do F1 teams exhibit such unprofessional behavior?

Briatore, that careless person, nothing he does is surprising!

At this moment, the HRT Team gives audiences the impression reminiscent of Ferrari in later years, emphasizing a strategy team that’s unpredictable.

"Red, Chen Xiangbei still couldn’t hold back and launched an attack. Do you think this time he can succeed?"

Park Dongxu asked.

Now he doesn’t dare to define it decisively; after all, the Chinese are notoriously great at surprising people.

Bei’s defense was very successful; if not letting Perez go, the Mexican newbie probably wouldn’t have surpassed him.

Now Bei shows his offensive side; it’s unknown how Perez’s defense would fare. If he can’t hold, he’ll truly be taught a lesson.

Judging by Bei’s past aggressive overtakes, I believe the Mexican newbie likely won’t hold.

Red didn’t hide his thoughts, speaking them directly.

Actually, Schumacher’s overtake already hinted at a prelude.

If Perez can’t stop the elderly King of Cars, he might struggle even more against the sharpened young Driver Bei!

Yet Perez doesn’t think this way himself; being overtaken by Schumacher was partly due to similar tire issues and partly a psychological disadvantage.

After all, the opponent is the famous seven-time King of Cars!

This psychological disadvantage isn’t unique to Perez; Chen Xiangbei also experienced it upon entering the circuit.

But through his skill and accomplishments, Chen Xiangbei repeatedly defeated opponents in front of him, completely overturning his psychological disadvantage, revealing an irrepressible momentum.

This is Perez’s first F1 professional race; he hasn’t yet built his confidence through victories, suddenly facing Schumacher instinctively fearfully, not daring to engage in a tough wheel-to-wheel fight.

Being inexperienced isn’t scary.

Fear is what’s sure to lead to defeat!

However, while Schumacher can exert tremendous psychological pressure on Perez, Chen Xiangbei cannot.

Because he is likewise a rookie, and as a teammate up close, no aura effect forms.

Compared to offense, Perez believes his defense is stronger, a fact validated in later blocking Hamilton to aid Verstappen’s championship win.

Perez made all the necessary preparations, waiting for Chen Xiangbei to come at him.

Facing his teammate’s catapult overtake, Perez unhesitatingly changed lanes, taking the defensive line to block.

Yet a strange scene unfolded; Perez made a mistake in his defensive path, exiting the bend too wide because of too much speed, leaving ample space for Chen Xiangbei to pass through with ease.

Everyone on site was stunned by this turn of events; the pre-duel buildup was intense, but did Perez really give way when it came to the actual fight?