"At that time, you would have been even more conservative than now!"

Odetto, worthy of being a "veteran" immersed in the F1 Paddock for decades, pointed out Chen Xiangbei's current issue directly. That is, as car upgrades and self-financing were not guaranteed, his driving style had unconsciously leaned towards being conservative.

It's important to know that when Chen Xiangbei first drove performance cars, he dared to dance on the knife's edge recklessly.

When driving the CFR2000 at the Huazai base, he was bold enough to challenge losing control, with the car's nose brushing past the tire wall.

At the Honda Racing Academy, although Chen Xiangbei kept advancing on the rainy track and maintained his challenge to the fastest lap time, it was obvious that his driving style and lines were no longer as extreme.

The reason at its core, Chen Xiangbei "feared" crashing.

Audiences who have watched F1 events in later years would probably remember several "directors" within the paddock, like the famous "Latife director" Latife, "Sargent director" Sargent, and others like Mazepin and Mick Schumacher.

The fundamental reason they were called "directors" was due to the frequent crashes they caused on the track.

F1 racing is a commercial sport, and from the team's perspective, the ultimate goal of team owners and investors is to make money.

Excessive crashes cause car damage, and not only does the team not profit, they may also incur losses.

Moreover, under budget cap restrictions, if a team spends too much on repairs, it affects the research budget for the next season, leading to a loss of competitiveness.

Which means even if an F1 team is well-off, they still can't handle drivers who frequently cause accidents and often choose to terminate contracts and give up.

Even someone as well-connected as Mick Schumacher in the paddock couldn't escape elimination due to high car damage costs.

In his previous life, Chen Xiangbei neither had the advantage of connections nor substantial sponsorship, making him incapable of bearing the severe consequences of car damage.

This resulted in Chen Xiangbei becoming more cautious as he entered higher-level competitions and drove more expensive formula cars.

He often chose to stay within a safe range, striving to enhance his line accuracy and smoothness through intensive training rather than challenging unsafe extreme lap times.

Such situations didn't just occur with Chen Xiangbei; early Japanese drivers were similar.

Until the booming development of Japan's automobile industry in the late 80s and 90s, when well-backed factory teams like Honda and Toyota entered the paddock, they had the confidence to be assertive, only then did the new generation of Japanese drivers become more aggressive.

Sato Takuma, Kobayashi Kamui, Kakida Yuuki, and others belong to the fearless types on the track!

At the same time, this explains why Sawano Hiroyuki, despite his double crown wins, didn't recognize Chen Xiangbei's problem.

He is also part of the old Japanese generation of drivers who "feared" accidents!

"Bei, it's easy to improve skills, but hard to break through in mindset."

"Within the F1 Paddock, in terms of driving skills alone, many times there's no essential difference; it's more about the driver's psychological quality."

"Remember to make your heart stronger!"

After speaking, Odetto patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder to show encouragement.

He wasn't trying to discourage Chen Xiangbei; on the contrary, he saw the potential in this Chinese rookie and the solid fundamental skills shown on the track, hence his words of support for budding talent.

"Odetto, I understand."

Chen Xiangbei nodded, aware of his problem.

"Since you understand, then let's watch Kobayashi's driving together."

After speaking, Odetto picked up the binoculars and walked out of the P room, heading to the best viewing stand.

This time, Chen Xiangbei sat beside Odetto, carefully observing Kobayashi Shuji's driving lines and car data.

Also having done two warm-up laps to reach optimal operating temperature, Kobayashi Shuji's first timed lap was slower than Chen Xiangbei's by 0.3 seconds, achieving a time of 1 minute 59 seconds 787.

The proximity of this gap is mainly due to two reasons: one is that Kobayashi Shuji has a special setup; normally in Renault-level events, you wouldn't have F1 team members helping you tune the car.

The other reason is that in lower-level events, once outside the academy scope, the limited upper limit of car performance often makes it hard for drivers to create big differences in lap times.

Similar to later Renault Formula and F3 events, qualifying session gaps within a second could cram in ten or so cars, with many drivers' lap times extremely close.

"Bei, have you seen the difference between Kobayashi and yourself?"

As Kobayashi Shuji completed the first lap, Odetto asked.

"Yes, his overall lines and lap times are not as good as mine, yet he is more extreme on some corners."

Kobayashi Shuji is typical of a talented rookie style; most of his cornering trajectories aren't really perfect, but in many corners, he suddenly delivers a masterstroke, showcasing his upper limits to the outside world.

This is akin to drivers in the F1 Paddock who may not score points all year but receive high praise and evaluation.

The reason lies in them often running a "god-like lap" in qualifying that exceeds the car's performance, attracting engineers from each paddock team to notice the driver's true potential and limits.

"Exactly, Kobayashi doesn't drive perfectly, and his cutting lines in many places are somewhat coarse."

"But regardless of the risks of losing control, running off track, or crashing, as long as you remember where the extreme boundary is, you'll be faster in the next lap!"

"Hmm."

Chen Xiangbei nodded, deeply moved inside.

This is the depth of seasoned F1 team leaders, accurately pinpointing one's shortcomings and defects.

It isn't just about technical aspects but also the differences in mindset.

During their conversation, Shuji Kobayashi completed the second lap, with lap improvements almost synchronized to 0.1 seconds with Chen Xiangbei.

Observing this, Chen Xiangbei's expression grew serious.

He knew the formula racing field in Europe is a place filled with hidden talents, creating a gap with other regions.

Just didn't expect that a trained Shuji Kobayashi in Europe has this capability; he hadn't even heard of the name in his past life.

Could there be hidden masters in this world?

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