Free Web NovelChapter 828: Chapter 339: This Is a Genius Racer (Part 2)
Heidfeld’s career is almost a premature version of Hockenheim’s.
Drivers entering the F1 Paddock around 2000 still inherited some of the aggressive traits of the 90s, and Heidfeld showed a very tough stance defending against Chen Xiangbei.
The rookie from China might think that tough confrontation can win against the "soft target" mid-generation drivers like Vettel and Rosberg; play strong overtakes with Heidfeld and he’ll immediately understand what it means to hit a brick wall!
To be honest, Chen Xiangbei is quite familiar with Heidfeld’s name.
In recent years of returning to the paddock, even Alonso has suffered losses; the reckless and tough driving style is very much a counter to the technical flow, with reckless being the standout feature.
If it were Chen Xiangbei at the start of the season, he might have tried head-on collisions with the opponent; now, stepping into the ranks of contending drivers, he has also become one of those "in the shoes."
Since the opponent’s speed limit is not high, and he is a traditional tough-style veteran, then he will show a hand of overcoming rigidity with softness, using absolute technical flow operations to show that Heidfeld’s era has changed!
After turning out of the Monaco T6 corner is the famous tunnel section, which is also one of the very few sections of the track that can be taken at full throttle.
But the difficulty of this tunnel is not full throttle; it’s the sudden "blindness" when exiting the tunnel due to the afternoon sun’s direct radiation, as well as the change in air direction at the tunnel entrance, which makes the aerodynamic effect of the car "light."
To put it another way, it is like when driving on a highway and a large truck passes by, causing the airflow to make the vehicle "float," significantly increasing handling difficulty.
Two cars drove into the tunnel one after the other, and the aerial cable broadcast camera could not track in real-time, so the big screen switched the footage to other drivers.
Since this is a full-throttle section and difficult to overtake, including the commentators, the entire audience did not think Chen Xiangbei would launch an attack here; his duel with Heidfeld would likely be hard to resolve in the short term, and switching frames wouldn’t miss any exciting shots.
But when the two cars came out of the tunnel, the spectators close by found that the first car to appear was a black-orange car, not the blue and white BMW colored Sauber.
Chen Xiangbei completed the overtake!
"Damn, what happened inside the tunnel that Chen Xiangbei overtook Heidfeld so quickly?"
"Is this the horror of the strongest new-generation driver? Has the veteran become futile?"
"Too strong, an overtake at full throttle in the tunnel section, Chen Xiangbei might really be able to reclaim his position step by step!"
"That’s right, the lost pole position, Chen Xiangbei will definitely reclaim it!"
The fans and supporters in the stands were in an uproar; Heidfeld is just a veteran, not a pencil pusher.
If he were truly incompetent, he wouldn’t have been able to make several entries and exits in the paddock.
"Heidfeld, what exactly happened?"
Mr. Soper, seeing this scene, immediately asked through his wireless communication, despite still being in the VIP room watching with Raikkonen.
He predicted that Heidfeld might not be able to block Chen Xiangbei, but he never imagined he couldn’t even hold him for one lap.
The tunnel was not a regular overtaking point, so what happened in that obscured section?
"I don’t know."
Came Heidfeld’s response through the earpiece, his tone filled with shock and helplessness as well.
At the exit of the tunnel during the alternation of light and darkness, when his pupils adjusted to the light, he saw a black car like a ghost passing by him; without a doubt, it was Chen Xiangbei’s number 13 car.
A narrow tunnel, full-throttle top speed, and sudden changes in vision.
Adding these factors together, Heidfeld really didn’t understand how Chen Xiangbei managed to surpass him. Is this Chinese rookie as fast as lightning, as the fans boast?
Hearing such a reply, Mr. Soper realized there was no need to ask further questions.
If he didn’t even know how he was overtaken, it could only prove one thing: a qualitative gap in strength between the two sides had emerged.
Is it that Heidfeld became unfamiliar after returning to the paddock, unable to regain his peak competitive state, or has the Chinese rookie grown to an incomprehensible degree, the next top star in the racing world?
Just as Mr. Soper was bewildered, the always laconic Raikkonen spoke up.
"Bei used the curbs."
[Curbs?]
Hearing this explanation, Mr. Soper did not agree much and immediately retorted: "The curbs in the tunnel are very high, pressing them would cause chassis damage or direct loss of control. How did Bei use the curbs to overtake?"
"There’s a line to ride the curbs in the tunnel, but it requires extraordinary courage and accuracy, normally no driver would take it, but Bei chose to challenge it."
"The problem is, the tunnel is very dark, and combined with the helmet visor hindrance, it’s impossible to see the curb line. How does Bei ensure accuracy?"
Mr. Soper was still somewhat unconvinced; he was not the type of management who only cares about investments, not events. Having operated within the paddock for twenty years, he was equally familiar with the tracks.
If this line had a high success rate, there wouldn’t be no drivers taking it. Chen Xiangbei is a rookie on the Monaco Circuit, so he’s unlikely to ensure line accuracy.
As for luck factors, they might exist in saving a car but not in taking a line, which is nearly impossible.
"I can drive the entire track with my eyes closed; is memorizing the inside curb lines difficult for a top driver?"
Raikkonen replied calmly, yet it carried an ineffable aura of awesomeness.
Indeed, for top drivers, at least in a track simulator, it’s no problem to drive with eyes closed; they can even judge which corner the car is in purely by the engine sound and gear shift rhythm.
But this is in a simulator scenario; which driver or team in reality would dare to experiment with million-dollar US Dollar cars?
Remembering the curbs inside the tunnel isn’t difficult; having the guts to actually do it is what’s hard.
What’s harder is succeeding at it!
In a flash, Mr. Soper recalled the time when Raikkonen, then a rookie, joined his team. Back then, many exploits also subverted his understanding. A novice who had only driven Renault levels managed to swiftly adapt to F1 racing rhythms in an autodidactic way, even scoring on his debut.
At that time, there weren’t any racing simulators for pre-adaptive training; it was purely relying on talent to battle hard.
It’s like a newly licensed driver jumping straight onto the track to break records—unbelievable!
Previously, Mr. Soper also regarded the twin-star title of Chen Xiangbei and Raikkonen as marketing hype.
Now he understands, it’s a world of geniuses he doesn’t comprehend!
The miracles on the track are far from over; the advantage of new tires was displayed to the fullest by Chen Xiangbei, followed by Red Bull Second Team’s Buemi, Indian Force’s Riu, etc.
All were overtaken with no power to fight back, and at this moment, Chen Xiangbei, in combination with the HRT Racing Car, truly resembled a black reaper on the track, harvesting the confidence of the drivers ahead!
"Driver Bei is too fast, the frequency and speed of overtaking make one forget this is the Monaco Circuit. What used to be a somewhat dull race now becomes a stage for a personal show."
"I don’t know how long Bei’s overtaking show can continue, but at this moment, he made me feel the speed and passion of F1 racing. Regardless of the final result of the race, Bei has a chance to secure today’s best driver title."
Ross excitedly narrated the track situation; truth be told, besides Chen Xiangbei’s crazy overtakes, other drivers are maintaining their positions with a train-like mindset, making the overall racing atmosphere incredibly dull.
Bei brought a different atmosphere to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Not only were the commentators excited, but the entire audience was also invigorated by Chen Xiangbei’s passion; countless people stood up, waving their arms frantically, shouting a name in different languages.
"Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~!"
