Free Web NovelChapter 772: Chapter 314: If Miracles Had a Color
Chen Xiangbei chose to attack at the T6 corner of the Lingyan Circuit, a place that’s not a conventional overtaking point and is part of the low-speed street section in the first half of the track, making overtaking relatively difficult.
The reason Chen Xiangbei opted for this as his decisive moment was because, compared to most sections in the low-speed street area of the Lingyan Circuit, which have cement barriers, the T6 corner features a standard curb.
However, due to tight scheduling and slipshod construction, the curb at T6 is much higher than the normal F1 standards, effectively resembling a road curb, with high risks of riding over it.
It’s well-known that if an ordinary civilian car speeds over a road curb, the vehicle will experience a severe jolt, possibly causing tire blowouts, bent rims, or even broken axles among other damages.
The T6 corner isn’t steep in terms of inclination, but this standard only applies to F1 cars; the actual speed remains over a hundred kilometers per hour.
If Chen Xiangbei were to ride onto it, he’d face numerous unknown risks, with the worst outcome being a real "flying dragon in the sky" experience.
Chen Xiangbei is very aware of these risks, and he didn’t plan to indulge in extreme gambler’s mentality. He utilized the T6 corner curb not for overtaking Vettel in the bend, but merely to expand his cornering line and slightly increase his exit speed.
Simply put, it’s just about having enough space in the T6 corner to come alongside Vettel.
After all, the performance gap between the HRT Racing Car and the Red Bull Racing car is considerable; trailing behind is not on the same level as overtaking, but catching Vettel’s slipstream and sticking to his rear isn’t difficult.
However, overtaking is nearly impossible!
The low-speed corner area lacks enough cornering space, and in the high-speed corner area, Chen Xiangbei can’t catch up to Vettel.
The T6 corner is the only chance.
This is why Chen Xiangbei waited for this moment to arrive.
"Xiangbei’s speed is getting faster and he’s already made a lane change for a maneuver, is he really planning to overtake at the T6 corner?"
"The problem is the curb at the T6 corner is extremely high, the risk of riding over it is unpredictable, and what’s more, Vettel’s cornering speed isn’t slow at all, making cornering overtaking impossible."
"Xiangbei’s move is somewhat irrational!"
Red narrated the track situation at a fast pace, shaking his head silently.
He understood Chen Xiangbei’s desire for the championship and realized there’s no time left to wait in this final lap.
But overtaking at the T6 corner was not a wise decision, and Chen Xiangbei would pay for his impulsive actions!
Outside the track, many of Chen Xiangbei’s fans who were listening to the commentary via FM began to show signs of despair on their faces. They also believed that this was a rash move by Chen Xiangbei.
Combining car performance advantage with defensive experience and driving skills, Vettel would give no overtaking opportunity to his opponent, making this final lap effort look more like "a dying struggle."
Yet, unlike the despair felt by the fans and racing enthusiasts, Chen Xiangbei’s face was filled with determination.
He must go beyond; this race does not allow him to become a loser! ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The HRT Racing Car rode up the curb at a speed of a hundred kilometers per hour, causing the entire car to leap into the air slightly, and Chen Xiangbei vaguely heard a "cracking" sound, followed by sharp pains from his waist and tailbone as they struck hard.
When the F1 engine is spinning at high speed, its sound resembles that of a jet and theoretically, no external sound should be heard.
Chen Xiangbei could hear the "crack," which only meant one thing—it was transmitted through solid state rather than air.
This suggests serious scraping of the car’s underbody, commonly known as ’bottoming out.’
But Chen Xiangbei didn’t care, or rather, this was within his acceptable range.
The 10th season’s F1 cars were "aero cars," with the entire car’s downforce and airflow guidance relying solely on aero kits, and the underbody virtually unrelated to aerodynamics.
This fundamentally differs from the "ground effect cars" of later generations.
It means even if the underbody is damaged, as long as it isn’t particularly exaggerated or serious, the impact on the car isn’t that significant.
Especially when there is only the last three-quarters of a lap remaining.
Relying on the aggressive curb riding operation, Chen Xiangbei forcibly found room to drive in parallel with Vettel’s car on the narrow bend.
However, this is as far as it goes; riding the curb doesn’t bring faster speed, moreover Vettel firmly guarded the best cornering line, strictly giving no overtaking space to Chen Xiangbei.
At this rate, Chen Xiangbei would soon be left behind again.
"Xiangbei is making a futile struggle."
Pal, the team manager of the Williams Team, gave his evaluation.
Even his boss sometimes misjudges, and the final lap’s answer is failure!
To this, Sir Williams did not respond. Given his understanding of the Chinese Kid, this guy is bold and meticulous; behind many seemingly arrogant and reckless actions, there is often a very careful thought to gain advantage.
Although from all rational aspects, the scene on the track looks like Chen Xiangbei cannot pass, and he is desperately trying to gamble.
However, Sir Williams’ instinct from years of professional experience told him this matter isn’t so simple.
The two cars, maintaining their tight parallel advancement, quickly approached the T6 corner exit.
At this moment, Chen Xiangbei, relying on a wider corner line, slightly surpassed Vettel in terms of speed, but to completely overtake, he’d need to preempt the exit.
