Chapter 766: Chapter 311: For the Team’s Victory (2)
Under normal circumstances, speeding in the pit lane usually means going slightly over the limit, like going from the limit of eighty to eighty-one or eighty-two, or entering too fast and not braking enough to bring the speed down completely.
However, in later years, Haas rookie driver Bellman set a record in practice by speeding through the pit lane at an alarming speed of 260km/h under red flag conditions.
If there were crew members or FIA weighing personnel in the pit lane at the time, the consequences of a crash would be unimaginable.
Bellman was penalized by being dropped ten places in the official race and had 4 points deducted from his Super Driver’s License due to his dangerous driving behavior.
Of course, Chen Xiangbei would never make such a low-level mistake.
Especially during a do-or-die moment for undercutting (strategic overtaking), a penalty due to speeding would be beyond a mere mistake; it would be a crime against the whole team!
Although Chen Xiangbei had no subjective issues, the other crew members blocked his line of sight by coming out to watch, causing difficulty in precisely locating the HRT pit spot.
He could only make a rough judgment based on the sign hanging above.
Briatore, who was originally relaxed and comfortable at the outdoor command stand, immediately sensed the possible hidden danger when he saw the crowded "sea of people" scene.
He jumped down from his seat and shouted loudly at the other crews ahead, "Clear out, clear out, don’t block Bei’s entry!"
If someone else had said this, it might not have had much deterrent power. Still, the reputation and notorious name of the old Italian rogue worked wonders, and the crew members blocking in front of HRT’s pit position all stepped back in unison.
Although Chen Xiangbei would not have his line of sight blocked to the extent of making a joke of entering the wrong pit, even a brief hesitation would waste unnecessary time.
The pit stop window for Chen Xiangbei, to be precise, was only 0.5 seconds!
The crew had already removed the tire warmers, and dozens of eyes were locked intently on Chen Xiangbei’s racing car.
With a precise brake stop, the HRT car came to a steady halt in the pit position, and the team of technicians surrounded it like machinery, using incredibly precise coordination and speed beyond external expectations to change the tires on Chen Xiangbei’s car.
The scales of victory were now tilting with their actions!
Other teams were also watching this scene, while their eyes glanced at the stopwatch on the testing equipment.
At 0.05 seconds, the front and rear jacks had already lifted the car off the ground, and two technicians held the car body to prevent shaking, while simultaneously, four other technicians with pneumatic wrenches began to synchronize and unscrew the screws on the tires.
At 0.35 seconds, the four screws were already removed, and the old tire was quickly detached from the axle. Then the technician team swapped positions, and another four technicians with new tires approached, placing the tires precisely onto the axle.
At 1.87 seconds, the tire change was completely finalized, with no mistakes occurring, and the teamwork was as smooth and beautiful as flowing water!
However, this scene might not look so great in the eyes of Ferrari’s team principal, Domenicali, whose expression was already very serious.
His intuition told him that HRT’s tire change speed had already surpassed Ferrari, and as for how much faster it was, that would depend on the final numbers.
At 2.27 seconds, the pneumatic wrench had tightened the screws, and the tire group members raised their arms to indicate that the tire change was complete. Almost simultaneously, the front and rear jacks were lowered, and the starting signal light on top turned green.
Feeling the thud as the car hit the ground, Chen Xiangbei released the clutch and stepped on the gas, and Car #13 shot out of the pit position like an arrow from the bow, entering the adjacent pit lane.
At that moment, the tire change stopwatch also stopped abruptly, with the numbers frozen at 2.39 seconds.
"Long live the HRT crew!"
Even before the crew members began to celebrate, a roar erupted from the VIP stands above the pit.
While 2.39 seconds wasn’t a record-breaking pit stop time, in the era of smaller tires in the F1 paddock, it was merely an excellent standard.
But for a newly established team under enormous pressure, achieving a key advantage over Ferrari and Mercedes was enough to be considered a proud accomplishment. Once again, Chen Xiangbei used the pit strategy undercut (strategic overtaking) to surpass his opponents!
"The discipline and cooperation of the HRT team are incredibly strong, truly a team combining the strengths of three teams!"
"I already have a feeling that this year the HRT team can replicate the miracle of Mercedes last year."
"Go Chen Xiangbei, go HRT!"
"Become the strongest team in the paddock and let me witness a piece of history!"
Even the fans at the scene got emotional. In truth, compared to improving a driver’s performance, building a top team is even more challenging.
Throughout several races, even though Chen Xiangbei has made mistakes, the HRT team has remained as solid as a rock, withstand all pressure, never disappointing drivers or fans once.
It indeed is the last dance of Toyota’s legacy, inheriting Super Aguri’s mantle and Renault’s essence, perfectly replicating the shadow of last year’s Brawn GP Team Honda’s final dance!
"GOOD!"
Bob Bell watched the tail lights of Chen Xiangbei’s car fade into the distance and clenched his fist, shouting passionately.
This race, whether in pre-race car repairs, mid-race double car simultaneous pit stops, or the recent extreme pressure on Ferrari and Mercedes.
The performances of the crew members were impeccable!
The previous race, the team had come together because of Chen Xiangbei’s performance. Now, Chen Xiangbei should be proud of having such a powerful crew, with their absolute unity and precise cooperation being the cornerstone for an F1 professional racing team to achieve victory.
The starting point for a championship team, Bell believes, is today!
Chen Xiangbei couldn’t join in the team’s celebration, as by the time he exited the pit lane, he could already see Alonso driving the fiery red Ferrari through the rearview mirror, closely followed by the Mercedes Silver Arrow.
"Alonso, the opportunity is right in front of you. Let the newcomer from China see what a true champion is!"
Domenicali shouted into the headset angrily, believing that while Chen Xiangbei could fend off Schumacher, he might not be able to stop Alonso.
This is the man who crushed Schumacher’s eight-title dream!
Alonso didn’t respond, but his acceleration expressed his attitude.
Facing the aggressive Alonso, Odetto also pressed the communication button at that moment.
"Bei, hold off Alonso, for the HRT team."
Previously, Odetto’s communication always mentioned only Chen Xiangbei himself, but now he spoke for the HRT team.
The reason was simple: at this moment, Chen Xiangbei was able to stay in front of Alonso and lead by 0.5 seconds, relying on the speed and efficiency of the entire technician team.
Previously, it was the driver’s advantage that couldn’t be lost by the crew.
Now, it was the crew members’ hard work helping Chen Xiangbei secure and even regain the advantage won on the track step by step.
Emotion and assistance are mutual, and Chen Xiangbei should not let the crew team down.
"I will, for HRT."
Chen Xiangbei understood what Odetto wanted to express, and he gave an extremely firm answer.
Schumacher couldn’t surpass me, and Alonso, neither can you!
He slammed down the accelerator, and even though the brand-new soft red tires hadn’t reached operating temperature, their tire characteristics provided excellent grip.
More terrifyingly, Chen Xiangbei’s decision this time was not to choose full defense like before. Instead, he was wildly increasing his speed, attempting to drop the trailing car with brute force!
The former was passive; the latter was proactive.
At this moment, Chen Xiangbei truly planned to go all out.
"Driver Bei facing Alonso’s attack and pursuit showed no signs of retreat or fear, even abandoning the defensive route and displaying immense courage and absolute confidence."
"To be honest, I’ve never seen such confidence and momentum in a young driver."
"If I had to describe it in four words, I would say it’s ’unstoppable momentum!’"
Red gave Chen Xiangbei high praise, and he was also well aware that driver competition ultimately comes down to psychological and momentum battles.
Compared to the previous battle with Schumacher, Chen Xiangbei seemed to have evolved, and he gave a completely different impression than before.
For a moment, Red’s intuition even told him that Chen Xiangbei had the momentum to suppress Alonso!
