Car Racing without Money

Chapter 843 - 346: Aiming to Be the Strongest Driver (2)

This kind of candidness is something Trulli hasn’t seen in other drivers, perhaps it’s what you might call charisma."That’s true, at least we had the chance to compete."

Perez replied quietly.

The rookies entering the paddock all have their youthful arrogance and their own championship dreams.

After a brief bout of emo, Perez lifted his head, a smile appearing on his face as he said, "Congratulations Xiangbei."

"Congratulations to you as well, and to HRT."

Trulli replied, nodding to Perez as well.

His words carried a dual meaning; on one hand, he was congratulating Perez on achieving a great seventh place finish at the Monaco Circuit, proving his strength and potential, shedding the label of a pay driver.

On the other hand, it was hinting that Perez had secured a driver’s seat at HRT.

However, the proud Trulli wouldn’t allow himself to explicitly admit losing to a junior, so he could only hint at it in this indirect way.

"Xiangbei, you’ve defeated the strongest driver in the paddock, Alonso, in two consecutive battles. Do you have anything to say?"

Sky Sports Salina asked again, as this was not just a championship battle but also a story of a rising star challenging a veteran.

"It feels great, Alonso is indeed very strong."

Listening to Chen Xiangbei’s response, Alonso’s usually serious face twitched for a moment. The best proof of power is admiration from an "enemy."

But soon Alonso would understand why the Chinese kid carried the label of arrogance and conceit.

"But soon the strongest driver in the paddock won’t be him anymore."

With that, Chen Xiangbei turned to meet Alonso’s gaze again, and this time their eyes were filled with tension.

Chen Xiangbei respected Alonso deeply, but that didn’t mean he had to be humble or fawn over him.

In the paddock, their identities were only that of competitors, and the best way to show respect was to beat him with all he had.

OH~~~~~!

As Chen Xiangbei uttered those words, the audience inside and outside the paddock erupted in a commotion.

Previously, Chen Xiangbei’s "provocations" were directed at some rookie drivers close to his age, or at most, he would poke at someone like Kimi Raikkonen, or just barely at Barrichello.

Today, his words were nothing short of directly challenging Alonso, akin to the Chinese saying "I can take his place."

Keep in mind, at this time, the Red Bull and Mercedes Dynasty had not yet arrived, and Alonso’s identity as the strongest driver in the paddock was solid. For someone to win a mere race and then boldly claim to replace a world champion seemed a bit reckless!

"The season isn’t over yet, Driver Bei, don’t get cocky."

"Does the Chinese kid think Alonso is easy to push around?"

"Alonso, take the world champion in the final race and teach this Chinese guy a lesson!"

"Win the next race, we always believe in you Alonso!"

Many of Alonso’s discontented fans now rushed forward to shout, feeling a sense of threat and a declaration of war.

As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, Salina did not choose to escalate the situation but continued with her own rhythm and asked.

"Xiangbei, many fans mentioned the final race just now, so what’s your goal for the future?"

"Undoubtedly, I want to win the championship."

After saying this, Chen Xiangbei paused for a moment, then emphasized.

"World champion."

Actually, without his emphasis, according to the current standings, if Chen Xiangbei could secure a race win, he’d likely become the world champion.

The unlikely situation would depend on Alonso not making it to the podium.

With the conclusion of the Monaco Grand Prix, Chen Xiangbei’s total points climbed to third, behind Alonso and Vettel, surpassing Weber and Hamilton, both of whom had been knocked out of the championship contention.

Currently, the total points between Chen Xiangbei and Vettel are very close, with only a 3-point difference, but they’re still 11 points behind Alonso.

According to the F1 points system, the champion can earn 25 points, the runner-up 18 points, the third place 15 points, and the fourth place 12 points.

This means if Chen Xiangbei wins, no matter what position Vettel finishes, he will be defeated. However, with Alonso, the 11-point difference means he must finish off the podium for Xiangbei to have a chance to win the world championship.

This is why Alonso fans at the scene were not pleased; the fact that Chen Xiangbei’s championship odds were only just starting and he already had the guts to brazenly claim he would become the strongest driver seemed like he was getting ahead of himself!

Did he ask Alonso?

Perhaps winning the championship involves too many variables, and given Alonso’s strength, making it to the podium is no problem; the world championship still belongs to Ferrari!

To the anger and attacks of the fans on-site, Chen Xiangbei ignored them.

He merely spoke what he wanted, expressing his most arrogant ambition and for the first time publicly announcing to the world, a Chinese driver is about to reach the pinnacle of the racing world!

Once, Chen Xiangbei couldn’t even step over the threshold; now, he stood before the throne.

There were those indignant and those inspired. The Chinese fans present and Chen Xiangbei’s supporters, hearing this declaration, were ignited like a powder keg; they had been waiting for this day, where a Chinese driver became the main character on the F1 stage.

"Team principal, did you ever think Xiangbei would reach the peak?"

Looking at the broadcasted interview footage, Mercedes Team test engineer Field asked Ross Brown a question.

Mercedes was once the closest team to signing Chen Xiangbei, now they could only watch helplessly as he stood at the strongest opponent’s position, sometimes making one marvel at life’s twists.

Especially in this race, Hamilton lost his last chance at contending for the championship.

"I knew he had talent, but I never thought he could stand at the peak."

Ross Brown replied with mixed emotions.

Compared to the early European media opinions and underestimations, this Ferrari trident never missed his potential, recognizing Chen Xiangbei’s racing talent, even recommending him for the unprecedented feat of skipping levels; undoubtedly, this judgment was incredibly foresighted.

Yet, even so, Ross Brown never thought one day Chen Xiangbei would say in front of Alonso he would become the strongest in the paddock, just one step away from the world championship.

"I thought about it."

Field next to him replied with a smile.

"You thought about it?"

Ross Brown was a bit surprised, knowing Field highly admired Chen Xiangbei, and the report after the rookie’s test drive was full of praise.

But to say he had thought a rookie could become the world champion someday seemed a bit exaggerated.

"Yes."

"Driving what was close to the bottom of the last season’s Honda car and being able to obliterate the strongest McLaren Silver Arrow, Xiangbei was destined for greatness on the day of the test drive!"

Destined for greatness?

Upon hearing these words, a thoughtful expression appeared on Ross Brown’s face.

Indeed, it was so; genius, regardless of the circumstances, no matter the team, is bound to shine!

The post-race interview didn’t last long, and again facing Chen Xiangbei’s provocation, Alonso didn’t get too excited or utter any harsh words.

After all, a veteran driver in the paddock for ten years, time had unknowingly smoothed his edges, much like later when transferred to the Martin Team, facing the "lion-like defense" of the young teammate Ocon, Alonso often chose to yield.

Had it been during his Renault days over a decade ago, such a daring young teammate blocking his way would have met with Alonso’s pedal to the metal.

Returning to the drivers’ lounge in anticipation of the awards, Chen Xiangbei, Alonso, and Kubica maintained differing degrees of conversation.

The first two were understandable, given the post-race interview’s tension and emotions hadn’t entirely mellowed.

Kubica, however, was simply coping with a fractured spirit.

Finishing on the podium at Monaco was a great achievement for both him and the Renault team, yet Chen Xiangbei, with his overpowering overtaking, showed Kubica who the real genius driver was, who truly was invincible.

Losing wasn’t frightening.

What was despairing for Kubica was losing without a means to win again.

After approximately ten minutes of rest, Chen Xiangbei stood at the top podium position, listening to the familiar national anthem play, feeling the cheers of the audience below, soaking in the global media attention.

"Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~! Chen Xiangbei~~!"