Car Racing without Money

Chapter 825: Chapter 338: Millimeter-Level Overtake

0.5 seconds?

Hearing this number, Chen Xiangbei felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Currently, even a lap time improvement of 0.1 seconds would exponentially increase the risk factor.

A 0.5-second per lap speed, he really couldn’t guarantee keeping the car steady!

But competitive sports leave no room for bargaining; if you can’t win, you lose. Chen Xiangbei took a deep breath and resolutely floored the accelerator to speed up. He had to achieve a 0.5-second improvement per lap to create a perfect pit stop window for himself.

The car’s speed increased, accompanied by more intense body vibrations, something Alonso observed clearly from behind.

If that’s the case, I won’t hold back!

Alonso accelerated just as decisively, his tires offering better grip naturally providing a stability advantage, and the Ferrari had better slow-speed mechanical grip.

With an almost unstoppable momentum and a crushing maneuver, Alonso directly cut to the left side of Chen Xiangbei’s car, blocking any space for him to change lanes.

Looking at the Ferrari that had reached his left rear wheel, Chen Xiangbei’s expression became determined and fierce. He could no longer rely on lane changes to block Alonso, so the only remedial measure was full throttle.

Before Alonso could complete the overtake, Chen aimed to block him behind again with greater speed, maintaining his leading advantage.

Chen Xiangbei’s speed was already on the edge of losing control, and this push of the accelerator nearly equated to an outright loss of control.

On the straight, he could barely maintain stability, but upon reaching turn T16, an expected yet surprising scene unfolded: the front part of Chen Xiangbei’s car got too close to the guardrail, failing to maintain surgical precision, and the front wing scraped against the guardrail.

Originally attached to the guardrail, the ad sticker was sliced in half as if by a sharp blade, while the fragile carbon-fiber front wing shattered like glass into pieces!

"Mistake in cornering!"

"Driver Bei made a pressured mistake under Alonso’s pursuit, his front wing collided with the guardrail on the right side, likely compromising the car’s overall aerodynamic balance."

"It’s truly unexpected; Driver Bei, who maintained zero accidents throughout the season, ultimately couldn’t withstand the heavy pressure from Alonso. It’s uncertain if this will affect his state or confidence; hopefully, he can hold on!"

Red’s tone was full of regret. Actually, monitoring data from the track showed that even when faced with Ferrari’s dual-car strategy, Chen Xiangbei maintained his strong defense with a one-on-two without any timidness.

But the problem was being too aggressive; he actually thought he could use acceleration to shake off Alonso.

Overestimating his own strength and underestimating Ferrari’s dual-car strategy led to this wall-crashing incident.

The only fortunate thing was that Chen Xiangbei’s car did not lose control; he was still driving on the track.

However, with the aerodynamic balance compromised, the car’s speed would significantly drop, and China’s newcomer would rapidly lose positions in the following laps.

"Young people’s unique youthful bravado, really overestimating themselves."

Henry snorted with sarcasm, suggesting Driver Bei’s biggest mistake was thinking he could face Alonso.

Ferrari’s dual-car strategy gave him over twenty laps of buffer, yet he stubbornly wanted to defeat Alonso. The current outcome is self-inflicted!

Meanwhile, at the HRT Team’s outdoor command station, strategy team members looked on at this scene in despair.

Even though Odetto and others had anticipated the worst result, when it finally came, it was hard to accept; after all, many people cling to a fluke mentality, hoping Lady Luck will favor them.

"Bei, pit when you pass the pit lane entrance!"

Not daring to hesitate, Odetto quickly issued a supplemental command.

Since there’s no way to create a perfect pit stop window, hurry to the pit to replace the damaged front wing and also change the tires.

The only fortunate point is that with just 19 turns in the Monaco Circuit, and Chen Xiangbei hitting the wall at T16, it means he needs to endure just three more turns to reach the pit entrance.

Of course, the premise is that Chen Xiangbei can tackle these three remaining turns!

Damage to the front wing in F1 races is extremely common, and the consequences can vary greatly.

For some cars, a damaged front wing feels like nothing, not affecting aerodynamics or handling, and the speed doesn’t noticeably decrease.

For others, it has a huge impact, slowing down several seconds per lap, watching helplessly as other cars overtake.

At present, HRT Team’s strategy group and engineering team don’t know which category Chen Xiangbei falls into, considering the complexity of F1 aerodynamics. Often, even when designing a car, teams don’t know the aerodynamic effects of each component.

That’s why you often see the term "negative upgrade" associated with teams.

Whether aerodynamic profiles can improve speed, and by how much, wind tunnel data is one aspect, and track reality is another; often, it’s purely gambling...

"Chen Xiangbei, keep it steady!"

"Bei, I hope to witness you becoming champion, don’t disappoint me!"