Car Racing without Money

Chapter 836 - 343: An Unexpected Overtake (Part 2)

After the driver Kubica firmed up his confidence, he was also not some rookie pushover. He had competed with Chen Xiangbei several times at the beginning of the season, and throughout the season, he had specially studied Chen Xiangbei’s driving habits and racing line style.As the saying goes, the person who knows you best is often your enemy!

This time, Kubica’s defense was resolute and tough, giving Chen Xiangbei no chance to overtake. Even at the risk of colliding, he was determined to block the front.

The difficult overtaking situation Alonso encountered earlier now fell onto Chen Xiangbei. Moreover, the opponent had the advantage of knowing your strengths and weaknesses, making it even harder for him to overtake.

Thus, a strange scene appeared on the track, with the leader Perez defending Alonso with all his might, trying to create an opportunity for Chen Xiangbei to catch up for attack.

But Chen Xiangbei was firmly blocked by Kubica, finding no chance at all.

As time went on, the tire life of Perez wore out, and his defensive pressure grew heavier, making it very likely for him to be overtaken or even crash into the wall. It was a race against time for both sides!

The four cars were battling fiercely on the track, with various extreme offensive lines and defenses being displayed, fully showcasing the conflict between spear and shield, thrilling the audience and commentators.

"Spectacular, this definitely counts as one of the most exciting offensive and defensive battles of the season, especially since two of them are rookie drivers this year, showing the potential of future stars and superstars."

"The four drivers were almost dancing on a knife’s edge, with each offensive and defensive cornering brushing dangerously close to the barriers. Any slight control mistake or correction through a corner could give the opponent a chance to overtake."

"Honestly, this is an art of the extreme!"

Red was in awe, really not expecting that the "boring" track of Monaco, often likened to a procession, could bring such a scene of four-car duels.

"It’s indeed spectacular, but Perez is about to break."

Beside him, Henry chimed in, noting that Perez’s set of soft red tires had been running for 40 laps, and defending against the strongest driver Alonso had brought him to his limits.

"Now, it depends on whether Bei overtakes first or Perez can’t hold on first."

"Without Perez holding them back, Bei wouldn’t find it easier to overtake."

For Henry’s remark, Red said nothing in response.

Indeed, overtaking on the Monaco Circuit was extremely difficult, not to mention that Kubica was no rookie.

Now with Perez at the front holding them back, all four cars’ speeds lowered, relatively making it somewhat easier for Chen Xiangbei to overtake.

If it weren’t for Perez, overtaking would be as hard as reaching for the sky.

"Team, my tires can’t hold on anymore."

Almost simultaneously, Perez reported the situation to Odetto.

His tires were now barely gripping the ground, and the entire car was starting to feel light and floating.

Continuing at this pace, it wasn’t just about defending Alonso; it was a question of whether he would crash into the wall.

If he could pit smoothly for new tires, Perez could re-enter the track in seventh place.

Gaining three positions on the Monaco Circuit would be an impressive performance.

But the longer the delay in pitting, the lower his re-entry position would sync. Should any crash occur, it could prematurely end Perez’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Everyone has selfish desires; Perez believed he had fulfilled the team’s orders and wanted to secure seventh place.

"Leader Odetto, Perez’s tire life has dropped below ten percent, and even without a slip or loss of control, there is a risk of a tire blowout; the road surface on the Monaco Circuit is not smooth either."

Mizutani Sho emphasized the tire data.

He hoped Perez could remain on the track to assist Chen Xiangbei but needed to adhere to the professional principles of a team data analyst. Perez’s tires genuinely could not hold on.

"Let Perez persist a bit longer; the potential ranking gain is far more important than his seventh place."

Before Odetto could respond, Briatore interjected.

According to F1 point rules, a champion gets 25 points, the runner-up 18 points, and the third place 15 points. If Chen Xiangbei overtakes Kubica, it means an additional 3 points to the total score.

Every point in the championship contest stage is crucial. In recent years of F1 finales, scenarios where a single point decided the outcome have happened more than once. In comparison, Perez’s sixth point for seventh place becomes dispensable.

Anyway, the HRT Team couldn’t contend for the Constructors’ Championship and hardly had any room for improvement in team rankings.

Listening to Briatore’s response, Trulli, watching from the P room, showed a sneer on his face.

As expected, when it came to the old Italian rogue, there was always only the interest in his eyes, never considering driver safety and honor!

Faced with Briatore’s words, Mizutani Sho did not press the call button to inform but instead looked at Odetto.

With a clash between team interests and safety-honor, he was caught in a dilemma and needed leader Odetto to make a decision!

Feeling Mizutani Sho’s enquiring gaze, Odetto hesitated no more and immediately pressed the earpiece call button: "Perez, pit on the next lap."

He then switched radio channels: "Bei, Perez will pit on the next lap; you have only one lap to make your overtake; he did his best."

Without further explanation, the words "did his best" explained everything.

"Copy."

A calm voice from Chen Xiangbei came through the earpiece.

Just when everyone thought it was over, another voice came.

"Tell Perez thank you for me."

The driver’s communication channels are independent; Chen Xiangbei couldn’t speak directly with Perez, and any communication needed to be relayed through the team.

He was well aware of the high value in running 40 laps on soft red tires and understood what it meant to block Alonso for almost ten laps with over-worn tires.

Hearing Chen Xiangbei’s words, Trulli was the first to react, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He hadn’t misjudged; regardless of the team, the Chinese Kid always maintained his driver’s spirit!

Realizing he had only one chance left with Chen Xiangbei, this time he chose to completely let go. Right ahead was the T6 corner of the Monaco Circuit, also known as the Hotel Bend, the slowest corner in the entire track, and the only 1st-gear, 50km/h corner.

Chen Xiangbei didn’t significantly slow down at the braking point, entering the corner at a speed nearing 100km/h, twice the normal speed of the Hotel Bend, which would typically result in losing control into the wall.

Seeing car number 13 coming like a cannonball at him, Kubica, constantly watching the rearview mirror, was a bit stunned.

"What is Driver Bei doing, attempting suicide by hitting the wall or trying to rear-end me?"

As a rookie season title contender, there’s no doubt that neither of these answers was possible.

Kubica couldn’t figure out what Chen Xiangbei aimed to do; he could only give it his all on the defensive line.

Just when everyone, including Kubica, thought Chen Xiangbei was making a suicidal overtaking move, a scene even more unexpected appeared: Chen Xiangbei, in a risky move, locked the tires with a braking maneuver and completed an extreme drift turn, overtaking Kubica from the inside of the track!

Bear in mind the braking performance of an F1 car is terrifyingly superior; top civilian performance cars take 3 seconds to brake from a speed of 100km/h, while F1 can stop from 200km/h in just 1.9 seconds!

At a speed of just 100km/h, Chen Xiangbei would need only 0.2 seconds to fully halt, with one press on the brake almost instantly locking the tires.

Of course, Chen Xiangbei wasn’t aiming for a lock; he needed a drift-like tailslide to overcome understeer caused by excessive speed.

In later years, Verstappen once demonstrated an F1-style drift through a corner at the Italian Grand Prix, but such maneuvers considerably affected tire wear.

Chen Xiangbei didn’t need a drastic drift; he aimed for the effect akin to F1’s "donut" maneuver, completing the overtaking line in the most unexpected way.

Naturally, the cost was more tire wear than under normal circumstances.

With Chen Xiangbei completing the overtaking in an unforeseen manner, aside from the roar of engines, the entire paddock fell silent as death.

The spectators were all stunned; they had never imagined an overtaking drift through a corner on the Monaco Circuit was possible.

Was this still watching an F1 Formula race, or was it WRC Rally?