Car Racing without Money

Chapter 707 - 283: Another Genius Driver? (Part 2)

Perez had already put on his helmet and seated himself in Trulli’s car number 14 cockpit, surrounded by Odetto and other team management, as well as the engineer team led by Bob Bell.Now with Chen Xiangbei’s car under maintenance, the data Perez churns out becomes the only reference source.

At this moment, Perez felt a bit nervous yet filled with anticipation.

The nerves need no explanation, as being a rookie to drive an F1 car is already something exhilarating.

The anticipation was for him to seize this chance to prove his talents and potential.

He wasn’t just a qualified second driver, but had the potential to compete for the number one driver position!

"Perez, this time we’ll be using a medium downforce setup to test the track’s tire wear level,"

"You’ll need to give timely feedback on tire temperature and tire life, understood?"

Odetto reminded him, as the GP2 event doesn’t have mandatory pit stop rules, meaning a set of tires can run to the finish, and many lower-tier drivers don’t habitually monitor tire temperature and wear.

Now on a high tire wear track, Perez must adapt to the F1 pace.

"Understood."

Perez nodded.

"Go for it, Perez."

Race engineer Bard encouraged him, believing Perez’s potential would certainly prove itself.

"Go for it."

"Go for it."

"GO!"

Other strategy team members of the HRT Team also cheered Perez on, a rookie deserves ample confidence.

The only one silent was Briatore, although he brought Perez into the team and even tried to replace Trulli, it didn’t mean the Italian rogue couldn’t do without him.

There are aspiring F1 drivers everywhere, yet only 24 team spots exist.

Briatore couldn’t care less whether Perez could handle the pressure or realize his potential.

If not, then he might as well get out sooner, just in time to make room for the next rookie.

This had been Briatore’s style for decades; even after returning to Renault Team later, he didn’t change his nature.

He crazily PUA drivers, squeezing out potential, and if it didn’t work, they were eliminated!

At this moment in the Lingyan Circuit commentary box, two commentators were also focused on the second practice session.

One was Red, an official F1 commentator who had commented at the Australia Station for Chen Xiangbei’s race.

The other was Park Dongxu, a local Korean guest from Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

"The second practice session has started, with several teams sending out their cars right on time. They probably considered the unfamiliar track and needed more time for adaptation and testing, hence the eagerness."

"Host Park, who do you think can adapt to the track faster and get the fastest lap in the second practice?"

Red threw out a topic, allowing the local Korean commentator to participate.

After all, this Korean Grand Prix didn’t even have a single Korean driver.

No one—not even an F1 driver nor a Formula driver!

Even in a "racing desert" like China, besides Chen Xiangbei participating, there were Chinese-descended drivers like Dong Hebin watching, as well as F3 level drivers like Ma Qinghua and Cheng Congfu.

In Korea so far, the highest level was only the Renault Formula.

Such a dismal organizer, Red couldn’t help but feel pity...

"Hamilton."

Park Dongxu answered without hesitation.

"Oh~~ Host Park, can you elaborate on your opinion?"

"Hamilton has immense strength and is the youngest world champion driver."

"More importantly, he was hit off track by an HRT driver in the last round. I believe he’ll be going all out for revenge at the Korean Grand Prix!"

Since there was no home driver, with the enemy’s enemy being a friend, Park Dongxu and most Korean audiences had turned into Hamilton’s fans.

Hoping that this young world champion could teach the Chinese a lesson.

"Is that so?"

Red responded with a smirk.

Being sharp, he understood Park Dongxu’s subtle hint.

But in someone else’s home ground, he had to give some face without pointing it out bluntly.

Hence, he smoothly said, "Coincidentally, the event’s organizers just sent word that the HRT car, Bei’s car, has mechanical issues undergoing repair. He’ll miss the second practice session."

"From the first practice session results, Bei seemed not very accustomed to the Lingyan Circuit. With ups and downs, Hamilton’s odds indeed look great."

Red gave an objective evaluation, as Chen Xiangbei’s experience lagged behind Hamilton by far. The home circuit advantage wasn’t obvious, especially on a new circuit like Lingyan. Finishing outside the top fifteen in the first practice was proof.

But this objective evaluation was taken by the Korean guest as confirmation.

Park Dongxu taking the baton emphasized, "Considering Chen Xiangbei’s adaptability, I don’t think he’ll make it into Q3."

"Are you sure?"

"So far, Bei hasn’t missed Q3 even once."

For that, Red gave a wry smile.

The Korean guest was overly personal, really treating Bei as some rookie?

Honestly, Red had similar thoughts before, but the Australian Grand Prix overturned his view.

A rookie capable of standing on the podium in a rain battle can’t possibly be some rookie driver.

No matter how difficult the Lingyan Circuit was, it wouldn’t surpass the rain battle at Albert Park Circuit!

"Of course, then let’s wait and see."

Park Dongxu firmly believed his view. With poor practice results plus car problems, Chen Xiangbei’s fate this round was sealed.

Moreover, Perez’s results from HRT could also serve as proof.

Neither made it into the top ten in practice one lap times!

The Korean audience immediately got excited when hearing such assertive commentary under the guidance.

"Chen Xiangbei is just a rookie, relying on HRT’s Mars Rover."

"That’s right, even his Chinese Grand Prix victory reportedly came from turbo engines cheating!"

"There’s no doubt, it’s a fact. Otherwise, why would the car need repairs?"

"Faking is... a tradition; the Korean circuit will reveal Chen Xiangbei’s true colors!"

A Korean subconsciously almost shouted a racist remark but swallowed it back in.

People learn from things not taught by others, but events taught once learn quickly.

The FIA truly can expel one from the paddock!

The audience mocked Chen Xiangbei on one hand, while on the other, crazily cheered for Hamilton.

Perhaps even McLaren Team and Hamilton didn’t anticipate Korea’s Lingyan Circuit becoming their "home turf."

Seeing the roaring spectator scene, Ah Yong said angrily, "The Koreans are so annoying!"

"Inspect thoroughly, don’t miss any details. These sounds are normal, even Schumacher was once slandered and mocked by the crowd."

Bob Bell listened to Ah Yong’s complaint and calmly advised.

He had seen many such scenes in his career, including legends like Prost, Senna, and Schumacher being disliked.

Among young drivers, Hamilton at the Brazil circuit and Vettel at the Australian circuit also faced boos from the audience.

As an F1 driver, if only a few people laughed at you, it might be a disgrace.

But if you could be attacked by hundreds of thousands on a track, it’s unmistakably a strong sign.

Because the weak would only be ignored.

Just like when Chen Xiangbei was seen as a rival by Hamilton, he was excited.

While the tech team focused on the outside factors of the stands, the strategy team was in complete disbelief as they watched Perez’s tire data on the monitors.

The Lingyan Circuit’s road surface was very rough, with some sections not even meeting F1 event asphalt standards, according to the team’s estimation requiring at least a two-stop or even three-stop strategy to complete the race.

Yet Perez ran over ten laps with astonishingly high tire life, making a set of soft red tires perform like hard white ones.

Frankly, many drivers in the paddock excel in tire conservation, but very few reach such mastery.

And don’t forget, Perez is purely a rookie.

At this moment, the impression Perez gave Odetto was reminiscent of the exaggeration he felt seeing Chen Xiangbei’s talent.

Could it be that fate really favored the HRT Team, allowing them to unearth two genius drivers at once?