It seems that under a heavy fuel load, the soft tires won't last for fifteen laps.
"Mizutani, what's the track temperature tomorrow?"
Chen Xiangbei asked.
"Tomorrow's F3 race will be the final event, scheduled differently from the practice and qualifying sessions, taking place at three thirty in the afternoon."
"Based on the teorological departnt's data, air temperature is estimated to be around 32℃, and after the midday sun, the track surface temperature is likely to exceed 40℃."
[Over 40℃?]
Upon hearing Mizutani Sho's response, Chen Xiangbei turned to Sawano Hiroyuki and asked.
"Sawano, given your experience at the East Ocean, can the heated soft tires last the entire race without a pit stop?"
"Unless you slow down to preserve the tires, it's impossible."
Sawano Hiroyuki gave a definite answer.
Compared to the Renault Formula, F3 cars not only differ in aerodynamic packages and performance, but the extra fuel and increased body weight add about a hundred kilos more than the Renault cars.
Undoubtedly, increased weight puts more stress on the tires, coupled with the rough street circuit surface, which further exacerbates wear.
"Can Xiangbei, having grabbed pole position, exploit the track's difficulty in overtaking to preserve his tires and complete the race?"
Mizutani Sho suggested, since overtaking is tough on this track, Chen Xiangbei could slow down a bit at the front as the leader without much of an issue.
"No way. Many drivers are clearly leaning towards extre qualifying setups, and they've surely prepared for a single pit stop to change tires."
"In this scenario, they won't just follow behind obediently; instead, they'll launch aggressive attacks on the pole-sitter right after the start, which will sharply increase tire wear during the battle."
"Any track incident that reduces the disadvantage of a pit stop for them will an Xiangbei can't fend off attacks with old tires, and he is highly likely to be overtaken in the latter stages of the race!"
Listening to Sawano Hiroyuki's analysis, the strategy group fell silent, thoughtful.
Chen Xiangbei is facing a major unresolved issue—he can't manage a tire change during the pit stop.
Due to a shortage of team mbers, even with Odett joining in, they've tried twice, and the tire change ti would not fall below 30 seconds.
This is an almost irrecoverable gap for a slow street circuit.
Originally, this wasn't a problem, as many F3 races don't involve tire changes, just completing the race on a single set. However, Australia in April this year experienced an unusual heatwave that greatly accelerated tire wear speeds, and competitors adjusted their setup and pit strategies.
The disadvantage of insufficient team mbers was highlighted, forcing Chen Xiangbei into a strategic bind.
"If soft tires can't last the entire race, then let's switch to dium tires."
Odett now stood with arms folded, calmly offering a solution.
"But leader, the grip is weaker with this approach, Xiangbei can't defend his position."
Sawano Hiroyuki had thought about this; dium tires are indeed more durable, but their grip can't match that of the soft tires and they warm up very slowly.
Even with the high track temperature of 40℃, it would take at least one or two laps to reach optimal operating temperature, during which the cold tires wouldn't allow Chen Xiangbei to hold pole.
"If you can't hold it, then let it go. Stay behind them and preserve your tires slowly. Do you think those extre qualifying setups have lower tire wear?"
Extre qualifying setups are actually high-downforce setups that enhance cornering control and grip to achieve high speeds.
Similarly, high downforce combined with heavy fuel leads to exaggerated tire wear, which is why opponents must pit; they can't last the entire race either.
"If opponents gamble on the safety car being deployed, it will offset the ti loss from their pit stop. East Bay Circuit is extrely hard to overtake, putting Xiangbei in an extrely passive position!"
From F3 racing onwards, there's strategic maneuvering, and Sawano Hiroyuki was discussing typical pit stop tactics.
Under normal circumstances, a tire change including the pit lane's speed restrictions takes around 20 seconds in F1.
This ans that as long as Chen Xiangbei stays within 20 seconds of the opponent, after their pit stop, Xiangbei can take the lead without overtaking.
However, if a track incident leads to a safety car deploynt, the FIA regulations impose speed limits and prohibit overtaking. If the opponents seize this mont to pit and change tires, they effectively gain a free pit window, reentering the track still ahead of Chen Xiangbei.
At this point, positions haven't changed, and Chen Xiangbei is still using old tires while opponents have fresh tires. Even with superior skill, chasing and overtaking on the East Bay Circuit is nearly impossible.
That's precisely why Sawano Hiroyuki doesn't consider the dium tires, as street circuits have a high chance of deploying the safety car, which opponents can practically bet on!
"Even if they get a free pit window, the high-downforce setup will still see rapid tire grip decline. As long as Xiangbei manages tire preservation, he can overtake in the latter half of the race."
"Leader, but..."
Sawano Hiroyuki still wanted to argue, but Odett shook his head and turned his gaze to Chen Xiangbei.
"Can you overtake them?"
"Yes."
Odett was right; even if opponents are lucky enough to get a free pit window.
As long as tire preservation is done to the extre, Chen Xiangbei is confident he can outperform them with one set of dium tires against their two sets of soft tires.
Conversely, if opponents aren't lucky enough, the race will end early!
"Okay, no problem, let's do it like this."
Odett spread his hands and looked at Sawano Hiroyuki with an "innocent" expression.
Why worry about so much when Chen Xiangbei can handle it...
As per the usual post-race routine, the technician team stays at the P garage for post-race inspections.
After changing out of his racing suit, Chen Xiangbei accompanied the strategy group back to the hotel in advance, escaping the track's clamor to prepare for tomorrow's race.
However, today was destined not to be as calm as yesterday.
After taking a shower back at the hotel, Chen Xiangbei entered the conference room intending to watch race footage to strengthen his ntal reference mory, when Lu Xiaoman opened the door and entered.
"Xiangbei, get ready; there's going to be a dia interview with you soon."
"Sister Man, can you cancel it? I don't want to be interviewed during the race."
Chen Xiangbei shook his head; yesterday's "Enlightennt" experience had brought him significant improvent.
He hoped to enter that state again and didn't want to be disturbed by journalists at this ti.
"It might be difficult to cancel."
"Why?"
"The interview is with CCTV."
User Comments
0 comments from readers