Car Racing without Money

Chapter 668 266: After All, It's a Team Game

Rosberg didn't have time to react and block, but one driver did.It was Hamilton, who was following behind Chen Xiangbei's car.

When he realized Rosberg couldn't complete the team order and was about to be overtaken by the Chinese driver Bei, Hamilton chose to overtake without hesitation.

Either way, it's an advancement of a position—does it matter if it's Chen Xiangbei?

For Hamilton, there's no friendship on the road to the championship.

Just like when Schumacher was in the paddock for over twenty years, after his skiing accident, no former teammate was allowed to visit.

In the words of the King of Cars, he had no friends in the paddock!

Watching the McLaren racing car following behind Chen Xiangbei and overtaking him, Rosberg felt a complex emotion.

He was willing to execute the team order for friendship's sake, not for benefits, which is fundamentally different from Ocon in later generations.

After all, Rosberg wasn't born poor like Ocon; he had a world champion father, a German household, and resources from the Mercedes Factory Team. His official driver seat was rock solid!

Even if he refused to execute it, McLaren boss Dennis couldn't do anything to him.

But when he was overtaken by the opponent's double-car tactic, Hamilton did not lend a hand and instead followed Chen Xiangbei to improve his ranking. This was something Rosberg found hard to accept.

It was like not wanting your brother to suffer, yet fearing your brother will drive a Land Rover.

However, this conflicted feeling quickly vanished, turning into a look of shock.

After Trulli let Chen Xiangbei pass, he certainly tried to block Hamilton, who was following closely and trying to take advantage.

After all, compared to Rosberg, Hamilton, the youngest world champion in history, was clearly stronger.

Without any hesitation, Trulli turned the steering wheel to try and block Hamilton's overtaking path.

But the overtaking lane was right there, and if Trulli blocked him, attempting to catch up with Chen Xiangbei would become much harder, and the tires couldn't support prolonged consumption.

At this point, Hamilton was only in his early twenties, with absolute speed but lacking composure, more like the style of Senna back in the day, only missing some effort and persistence.

Faced with Trulli's block, the heated Hamilton stepped on the gas pedal and rushed forward, planning to follow Chen Xiangbei through before Trulli could "close the door."

However, Trulli was no pushover. Being a role that could act tough on the track, could he just swallow his pride?

With age, a decline in strength is an objective factor, but a decrease in temper is subjective.

Clearly, Trulli didn't plan to tolerate this young driver!

One side was aggressively overtaking, and the other aggressively "closed the door." The gap between them narrowed, and both engaged in a fierce psychological battle, betting on who would back down first.

Yet both underestimated each other's determination. Not only was there no active retreat, but not even the slightest slowing down.

Highlighting the notion of "whoever backs down is a coward!"

As expected, Hamilton's car nosed straight into Trulli, who was changing lanes, enacting a non-standard "American pit maneuver."

Then the McLaren racing car rammed the HRT Racing Car's side pod, and both cars dashed off the track.

"Yellow flag! A double-yellow flag incident has occurred on the track!"

"Hamilton from McLaren Team collided with the HRT Team's seasoned Trulli, hitting the most vulnerable side pod area of the car."

"We can see obvious damage to the HRT Racing Car's cockpit, Trulli leaning sideways in his seat, unable to move. We don't know the extent of his injuries. If it's severe, a red flag might be warranted."

The East Sea International Circuit, benefiting from new construction and higher safety standards, has not seen any major incidents or severe driver injuries since hosting its Grand Prix in 2004.

Even though Trulli is not a Chinese driver, people often extend their affections. Just like Zhou Guanyu in Sauber Team later on, making Chinese car fans develop good feelings toward Bottas.

Moreover, Trulli's blocking and closing moves were clearly to help Chen Xiangbei overtake, and guest Sha Tong very much hoped that he would be safe and sound.

"The track's medical team has already rushed over. It seems like Trulli is unbuckling his seatbelt, indicating that he is at least conscious."

"Hamilton, having collided head-on, has already climbed out of the cockpit and seems to be fine."

In any vehicle design, including F1, emphasis is placed on frontal collision protection.

Meaning, if you encounter an unavoidable danger, don't randomly steer; simply directly collide head-on for more safety and to reduce injury.

Compared to the commentators worrying about injuries, the spectators on site were buzzing with discussions.

"Trulli is at least a veteran, is such a reckless door-closing move appropriate?"

"Clearly, it's a team order to block, Briatore has a history of jeopardizing drivers for benefits using extreme means!"

"Even though Trulli seems more severely injured, I think the FIA should severely punish this dangerous door-closing behavior!"

"That's right, there's suspicion of undue advantage for the Chinese driver Bei!"

Just like with traffic accidents, the severity of injury doesn't determine who is in the right.