Car Racing without Money

Chapter 708 - 284: No Weakness in Tire Management

"Leader, Perez’s ability to manage tires is truly strong."Sawano Hiroyuki couldn’t help but remark, as with the cancellation of refueling during pit stops and the increasingly harder tire materials, tire management has become an essential skill for drivers.

Back in the day, there was Schumacher who utilized a four-stop strategy to forcefully reverse the results against Alonso’s three-stop and claimed the championship, creating a miracle in the F1 world.

Nowadays, one-stop and two-stop strategies have become mainstream, and if it weren’t for the mandatory pit stop rules imposed by the FIA, many drivers might intend to run the entire race on a single set of tires without stopping to change them.

One must know that pit stops are often not just about changing tires; they represent a variable!

Why did F1 start to decline between 2010 and 2020?

On one hand, Schumacher’s retirement marked the end of an era.

On the second hand, F1’s chief Bernie was resistant to change and couldn’t keep up with the internet age, relying on Liberty Media Corporation to take over and commercialize it.

Lastly, the "Mars Rover" was so dominant that the races lost suspense early on, making the DRS (Drag Reduction System) to reduce overtaking difficulty somewhat ineffective.

Multiple pit stops symbolize the expansion of strategies, the increase of team collaboration variables, and introduce many unknowns and suspense to the race!

Just like in movies, no one likes knowing the ending from the start.

No one in sports competitions wants to know the champion’s identity ahead of time, either.

But the flow of time cannot be resisted, and the reduction in pit stops through tire management has become a major trend.

Drivers possessing this ability or talent will shine brightly on the racetrack!

"Certainly outstanding, not inferior to Xiangbei."

Odetto nodded, giving Perez a very high evaluation.

Honestly, he somewhat held back on this evaluation. In fact, Perez currently demonstrates tire management ability that has actually surpassed Chen Xiangbei.

Of course, this is also related to driving styles.

An overly tire-conserving approach is destined to have slower lap times, which might not be problematic in a race, allowing a driver to catch up later.

But in qualifying, this leads to falling far behind.

Conversely, Chen Xiangbei possesses absolute speed as well as tire management abilities that do not become a weakness, which is the hallmark of a truly well-rounded driver.

However, nowadays, no one would hold Chen Xiangbei to the standards of a rookie even though he is still racing in his debut season. In contrast, the management’s expectations for Perez are much lower, as he is just a reserve newcomer.

Like a substitute rookie in later games, as long as he doesn’t cause accidents and performs moderately, he can be considered competent.

If he scores points, he might even have the chance to secure a seat for next season in advance!

"However, Perez’s driving style greatly conflicts with Xiangbei’s. How do we match the setup data obtained?"

Data analyst Mizutani Sho sounded somewhat worried.

Looking at the data from various sensors on the race car, Perez and Chen Xiangbei are practically two extremes.

One is extremely aggressive with late braking and extreme racing lines.

The other is very gentle, lifting off the throttle and gliding through corners.

With such distinct personal styles, how can Chen Xiangbei reference Perez’s setup data?

"That’s Xiangbei’s problem."

Odetto responded casually.

The team only provides the data; whether the driver can handle it is up to them.

Back then, Trulli also wasn’t suited to an oversteering car. Should Chen Xiangbei have collected a separate set of understeering data just for him?

The answer is obviously no.

Even if Perez replaces the second driver position, it doesn’t mean he needs to make sacrifices without limits.

Even the mighty Schumacher once took advantage of Barrichello to take a victory, and faced criticism, he returned the favor in subsequent races.

Chen Xiangbei doesn’t have that much influence, forcing the entire team to serve him.

The second practice session ended as scheduled, with Perez still ranking outside the top ten, showing no significant improvements.

However, the tire data left the team amazed, as with Perez’s driving style, a one-stop strategy is completely feasible!

Historically, Lingyan Circuit’s norm is a two-stop or even three-stop strategy, with pit stop windows restricted by the unique layout of the pits, averaging around 25 seconds.

In other words, reducing one pit stop can recover a 25-second gap.

Two pit stops mean a 50-second difference!

But according to Perez’s average timing, the tire-conserving lap times are slow, and he’s quite weak in wheel-to-wheel battles, easily getting trapped in traffic with no way out.

Overall, though, a 50-second advantage is substantial, enough to tempt the team’s management.

Seeing this data, Sawano Hiroyuki approached Chen Xiangbei.

He spoke to him: "Mr. Xiangbei, Perez’s approach is well-suited to Lingyan Circuit, and since it’s a brand-new track, other teams probably haven’t collected data on this aspect, giving us the initiative."

"But this is entirely different from your usual driving style and lacks adaptation from one practice session. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I can."

Without any hesitation, Chen Xiangbei gave his answer.

"Are you sure?"

This time it was Sawano Hiroyuki who showed some doubt.

This kid wouldn’t be trying to show off in front of a newcomer, pretending to be strong?

"Of course, I’m quite adept."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile.

He wasn’t trying to show off nor was he lying.

Actually, in comparison to aggressive and risky driving, Perez’s conservative approach was the style of Chen Xiangbei in his past life.