Standing aside, Field didn’t understand the reason behind it and couldn’t help but ask a question.
Although Chen Xiangbei’s car test was handled by mbers of the Super Dream Team, it was under the banner of Brawn GP Team, and the RA108 car was also the property of Brawn GP Team.
As the testing engineer on standby, Field felt he had the obligation to remind them that Chen Xiangbei’s speed was too crazy!
In response to Field’s inquiry, the people from the Super Dream Team looked at each other and all turned their gaze to Odetto.
At this mont, Chen Xiangbei had already beco the figure Odetto hoped for, and it might be a bit difficult to turn back now.
"Field, watch your words, Xiangbei is a rookie of F3 Champion caliber."
Although Odetto was feeling uncertain at the mont, in front of outsiders, he absolutely couldn’t "show weakness," even if he had to put on a facade to ensure he didn’t lose face.
"What’s the difference? He can’t handle this kind of speed."
"I believe he can control it."
Odetto replied without hesitation.
He could remind Chen Xiangbei but absolutely couldn’t doubt his ability.
This is the trust that must exist between a driver and a team leader!
Listening to Odetto’s resolute answer, Field wanted to retort, but swallowed his words halfway.
In F1 teams, there is a strict hierarchy, and the team leader has absolute authority during races and training.
Not to ntion an "outsider" like him, even the team owner or managent can’t challenge the leader’s authority at such a ti, even if they fire him afterwards.
If Field continued to speak, it would be overstepping boundaries.
He just still didn’t understand who gave Odetto the courage to trust a Chinese rookie’s ability so much?
In fact, it wasn’t just Field; the engineers in the McLaren and Renault Team P rooms had abnormal expressions seeing Chen Xiangbei’s "whoever lets off the throttle is a coward" aura.
The Chinese kid hasn’t had contact with F1 cars, can they understand, or perhaps they haven’t even learned?
This speed isn’t for testing, it’s more like seeking death!
Historically, many rookie drivers have lost their heads while driving F1 cars during testing.
Put simply, it’s like street racing where excitent overrides the brain, ignoring the risks that speed brings.
However, usually when a sign appears, the team promptly issues an order, telling the driver to slow down and stay within a safe range.
So far, no TR directive from either Super Dream or Brawn GP Team has been heard.
Are they unaware, or is everyone, including the crew, a bunch of rookies?
After all, Super Aguri withdrew from the F1 paddock back in April last year, and it’s uncertain how many technical mainstays remain. If their strategy group mbers, recruited and reassembled, all co from lower-tier formula races as "rookies," it’s really possible they haven’t realized the risk!
While everyone was still puzzled, Chen Xiangbei braked and decelerated before entering the corner, quickly shifting down to 3rd gear at 130 km/h, and smoothly navigated through the first corner.
Moreover, in the continuous corners of T2 and T3, Chen Xiangbei also showcased an incredible familiarity with the track and control!
Because the T3 corner is an ultra-long arc, experienced drivers, once out of T2, can find the central line and accelerate through the corner at full throttle.
Not few drivers know this line and operation thod, even rookies are no exception.
After all, the racing simulators of this era are very mature, and given the opportunity to test an F1 car, the team would certainly provide a large amount of data support, which rookies could learn from.
But knowing doesn’t an being able to do it; track conditions change rapidly, and full-throttle cornering carries significant risks.
Among the rookies who have been test-driving over the years, it’s rare unless they’re experienced testers or of super-genius caliber, for anyone to find the central line and corner at full throttle on the first lap!
Even McLaren’s test driver, who won the DTM world championship, Paffett, couldn’t achieve it.
Yet Chen Xiangbei, a Chinese rookie who has only raced in one F3 race, actually managed to do it?
No one knows how Chen Xiangbei does it, as he has already reached the famous "rcedes Bend" at Catalonia Circuit by now.
In the 2016 F1 Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton and Rosberg of the rcedes Team had an intense internal fight for the world championship.
At the start of the front row, Rosberg overtook teammate Hamilton at the first corner, and when they reached the fourth corner, Hamilton tried to overtake again but ended up colliding, leading to both dropping out of the race.
It just goes to show that when striving to be a world champion, on the track, there’s only competitors, not teammates!
This corner isn’t particularly difficult, it’s just famous for an incident.
Chen Xiangbei smoothly took the corner; he has gradually found the feel of driving an F1 car.
It’s not that Chen Xiangbei’s talent is sky-high, but that the feel of driving F1 cars of this era is really similar to F2 cars of his past life.
Later F2 cars use 3.4L V8 single-turbo engines, manufactured by the forr Renault Sport cachro company, with a maximum horsepower of 620.
In contrast, later F1 cars have switched to ground effect cars and hybrid systems. F2 still maintains pure fuel performance without batteries and energy recovery systems, and the driving feel is starkly different.
User Comments
0 comments from readers