Car Racing without Money

Chapter 829: Chapter 340: A Miraculous Comeback

"The actual ranking has surpassed sixth place. Mr. Xiangbei is performing exceptionally well!"

Mizutani Sho looked at the data on the monitor screen and couldn’t help but cheer with excitement.

This actual ranking isn’t the same as Chen Xiangbei’s current live ranking. It still requires calculating the drivers in front who haven’t pitted, plus the theoretical twenty seconds or so for pit stops, and then comparing the gap with Chen Xiangbei.

It’s just like many people watching an F1 race, where a driver’s rank on the left side of the screen is in the teens, but after a lap, their position suddenly jumps to the front.

The reason is that this driver pitted early for a tire change, while many drivers in front of him haven’t pitted yet. When the front drivers also pit for tires and come out again, they naturally fall behind.

"The situation is still not optimistic. Many drivers are delaying their pit stops to switch to medium yellow tires, eliminating the cold tire time, and also waiting for a safety car period."

"They still have many strategic cards, but we don’t have any."

Sawano Hiroyuki remained very calm. The moment Chen Xiangbei pitted, it meant the team strategy had been executed, leaving no possibility for an undercut strategy.

In contrast, opponents can wait for the optimal pit stop window. If an incident occurs on the track leading to a safety car, pit time can be reduced by at least half.

If luck is good enough for a red flag, it’s equivalent to a free pit stop and tire change!

The actual ranking calculated by Mizutani Sho is merely a theoretical position. The real track is filled with numerous variables.

There’s another point Sawano Hiroyuki didn’t mention, which is that the higher the rank, the stronger the defensive will and the relatively stronger skill of the driver.

During the Mercedes and Red Bull Dynasty periods, one often sees a scene on the track where Hamilton or Verstappen, if starting from the back, apart from the front few positions, other drivers don’t defend and let them go directly.

They know they can’t stop them; they’re not direct competitors, and letting them pass to save tires is better for scoring points.

Chen Xiangbei’s smooth overtaking was partly due to his outstanding performance, not giving opponents much chance to tussle.

Another reason is that many drivers are only focused on being in the points zone, rather than competing for the championship with Chen Xiangbei. Whether they defend or not doesn’t impact the bigger picture.

Front drivers are different; they are not only championship competitors with Chen Xiangbei, but also those needing points for team ranking and personal ranking bonuses, and they won’t let him pass easily.

The real overtaking challenge for Chen Xiangbei has just begun!

"Who says we have no cards?"

Just as Sawano Hiroyuki was looking worried, Briatore unexpectedly responded, pointing his finger at the screen showing the eighth rank.

The driver’s name was Perez.

Chen Xiangbei surpassed the slow car group, meaning he’s entering a period with no obstacles, with an open track environment and stable cold air, his speed on a single lap compared to being in a traffic jam can increase by at least 0.5 seconds.

This rapid chase will force opponents to pit early, otherwise front drivers will be undercut by Chen Xiangbei.

In reality, this scene is often seen in F1 races, where the leading group has a driver who chooses to pit early for a tire change, prompting other drivers to do the same, not wanting to give the opponent a chance for undercut strategy.

Almost at the moment Briatore finished speaking, front drivers like Alonso, Masa, Kubica, Vettel, Rosberg, and others almost simultaneously entered the pit lane for tire changes.

Perez, who was ranked eighth, directly leapt to the top position on the board.

He was the HRT Team’s killer move, their last card!

"Xiangbei, many drivers pitting will be quite chaotic. This lap, PUSH for a chance to undercut."

Odetto did not engage in discussion, but instead kept turning to look at the pit station behind him.

Nearly ten cars entered the pits simultaneously, and tire change speeds varied among team technicians, inevitably causing disorderly pit exits, creating opportunities for green light starts.

Usually, for the middle of a race, average lap speed is slower by two to three seconds than the fastest lap in qualifying.

On one hand, it’s due to heavy fuel load and tire wear considerations. On the other hand, it’s because of setup schemes and track traffic conditions.

If Chen Xiangbei can seize the gap period to produce an astonishing lap speed, he can still push to the extreme to execute his own undercut strategy!

"COPY."

A response came through in the team radio, and Chen Xiangbei immediately stomped on the accelerator.

"The speed of China’s newcomer Driver Bei once again increased. We can see through the broadcast images that he’s extremely close to the track’s protective barriers, riding the curbs on many segments and using up the entire track width."

"If nothing unexpected happens, I think he wants to use this lap’s pursuit to complete an undercut on pitting drivers."

"Who would have thought that Driver Bei, who was forced to pit early to replace the front wing, would still have the opportunity to perform a tactical overtake on front drivers?"

"He used his speed and overtaking efficiency to rejoin the championship contention group and furthermore is aiming for a definitive strike on pitting opponents."

"Extreme control, frenzied battling, indomitable will!"

"At this moment, Xiangbei is worthy of the true title ’driver’!"

Red’s commentary voice was trembling. It wasn’t Chen Xiangbei’s control or skill that awed him, but more the spirit of this young Chinese driver that left him in awe.