"Alessi, why are you here?"

Zhang Yifei stood up, with a hint of irrepressible surprise in his tone.

With the retirement of Alessi, the grievances and grievances of the past are also gone.

When standing in place and looking back, although there have been conflicts, competitions, and contradictions between the two sides, at least from Zhang Yifei's point of view, Alessi is indeed a good teammate and senior. During Zhang Yifei's rookie period, he was given a lot of experience help, and he became a qualified wingman by default on the track.

In the crash in Japan at the end of last season, although Alessi's injury did not reach the point of life-threatening, it was not a light injury. It takes several months to recuperate, not to mention the subsequent recovery.

When Zhang Yifei was at the French headquarters, he also went to the hospital to visit Alessi when he had time, and then with the new season coming, Zhang Yifei ran around the world to prepare for the race, and he didn't have time to visit Alessi again.

Later, Alessi was discharged from the hospital and returned to his hometown, a small French town, to recover, and the two basically never saw each other again.

The reality of the workplace is like this, when you retire, you are no longer in this circle, and it is much more difficult to see each other again.

Zhang Yifei didn't expect to see the French veteran again in Monaco City today!

"Prost knew that your practice on the simulated track was not going well, and he couldn't come over in person, so he entrusted Alessi to come over and help you train."

Alonso and Zhang Yifei's unsatisfactory simulator lap times have actually been concerned about Prost, who is far away in France. However, he has had to deal with a lot of things lately, especially since the negotiations with Ferrari for the supply of engines are at a critical stage, and a result must be reached in a short period of time.

Whether it's using a Ferrari engine next year or switching to another engine supplier, we can't afford to delay it any longer, otherwise the development of the car will be as fast as last year.

Now not only Zhang Yifei's ambition is inflated, but Prost's ambition is not so small, he plans to take advantage of the victory to pursue, overthrow the Big Three and even Ferrari, and complete his original dream.

It is to let the team of Grand France stand at the pinnacle of the F1 paddock!

So he couldn't tolerate any mistakes and had to solve the problem of the engine supplier quickly and personally. Since there is no way to come over, the best candidate for the track instructor is the former driver Alessi, so today's scene appeared.

"Great, I remember the experience you taught me about the Albert Park circuit in the Australia lounge."

Zhang Yifei said happily, and it was not that kind of polite compliment.

In the opening race of the Australian Grand Prix last year, he was still a pure rookie, and he had not even touched the F1 car a few times before.

It was in the lounge that Alessi's insights into the track and suggestions for the tuning plan of the car allowed Zhang Yifei to enter the points area in the first race and get the sixth place.

If there was no experience advice from Alessi at that time, then Zhang Yifei might have been rejected by the points area.

It's like the champion and the runner-up, only one place apart, but the treatment is worlds apart. The sixth-place points area is also a place away from the seventh-place area, but for newcomers, the first rookie game can enter the points area, and the influence and shock are far from being comparable to the seventh-place place.

In a sense, Zhang Yifei really wants to thank Alessi for helping him in the initial stage.

Hearing Zhang Yifei's words, the expression on Alessi's face was not so natural, and a trace of embarrassment appeared.

Because in the team lounge back then, although he pointed out Zhang Yifei, his tone was not very good, and he even used an attitude of relying on the old and selling the old, calling Zhang Yifei a rookie.

Looking back now, this rookie title for Chinese boys is undoubtedly self-inflicted.

However, Alessi is not a hypocritical person, the toughness of the French veteran is still there, and he finally smiled faintly and did not say too much about this past.

At this time, Alonso also stood up, he did not have any personal contact with Alessi before, at most he had competed together on the track.

So suddenly seeing the "senior" of the Prost team returning, Alonso didn't feel anything special, and said hello normally: "Hello." ”

"Hello."

Alessi's attitude towards Alonso is also very flat, the French veteran is not an easy-going and enthusiastic person, and he has even done things to suppress newcomers in the team. The reason why he can get along harmoniously with Zhang Yifei is not more about personality, but because of strength.

In a sense, it is similar to the current way Zhang Yifei and Alonso get along, if Zhang Yifei hadn't held Alonso to death, it would have been "war" within the team now, and the two were frantically competing for the No. 1 driver's seat.

So Alessi didn't have much interest in communicating with the Spanish kids, and everyone could just say hello very often.

These interpersonal problems have never been a concern for Kossel. As long as you can set the fastest lap time on the track and get a good result, even if you're a freak, Kosell doesn't care.

Even Cowel didn't care about the competition between Zhang Yifei and Alonso, and he didn't have any favoritism at all. Because in the eyes of the old German man, the F1 paddock is the one who can live, if Zhang Yifei does not have the strength to sit firmly in his position as the No. 1 driver, then he will abdicate and make way for Xian.

Just as he can't allow drivers to have shortcomings, Korcel can't tolerate the drivers he works with, a weakling team who loses competition!

After two years of getting along, Caser appreciates and agrees with Zhang Yifei very much, but he will not lower any requirements for Zhang Yifei because of this personal emotion.

"Tomorrow is a practice session and now we're going to go through the track data with Alessi. Otherwise, with your current simulator lap times, you won't be eligible for the podium in Monaco, let alone in control of the track. ”

Korcel spoke very directly, and he was not very satisfied with Zhang Yifei and Alonso's training lap times.

However, he is also well aware of the difficulty of mastering this track, and even the current Schumacher only took over the crown of "King of Monaco" after Senna's accidental death in the third year of his career.

But understanding does not mean acceptance, at least in the eyes of Korcel, without understanding and forgiving for failure, there can be no excuse if you want to win the championship!

After saying this, Cosell turned on the projector in the training room, and a topographical map of the Monaco circuit appeared on the screen.

This topographic map records the alignment, braking points, and even gears and theoretical perfect speeds for each corner. Previously, Zhang Yifei and Alonso had discussed the problem of alignment with the strategy team on this track topographic map many times.

But theory is theory, and it's not the same thing to actually run on the track. In terms of gear changes alone, the Monaco circuit has an average of more than 3,000 gear changes, and if the competition is fierce, it can reach 4,000 shifts.

There are also limit controls such as braking, wiring, etc., who dares to say that they do not make a little mistake in these operations?

But herein lies the contradiction, Schumacher said that this track is a track that cannot be made at all. Any small mistake can cause a driver to crash into the guardrail and cause an accident, which also leads to an alarmingly low completion rate at the Monaco circuit.

Even a driver of Schumacher's level is so cautious, not to mention Zhang Yifei and Alonso, who have never run on this track.

In the more than 50 years of Formula 1, there has never been a precedent for a newcomer to take pole position or win a Grand Prix on his first run at Monaco.

Of course, history is meant to be made, and Korsell never believed in records that could not be broken!

In the face of Cosell's bluntness, Zhang Yifei and Alonso did not refute, but listened silently. Needless to say, Zhang Yifei himself is not the kind of person who likes to make excuses.

Alonso likes BB very much, but he also has a characteristic, that is, only BB racing problems, for his own handling and technical weaknesses, Alonso will not complain like a resentful woman, and can accept it calmly.

Seeing that the two men did not speak, Korsell nodded towards Alessi, and then stood aside. The next step is for Alessi to talk about his understanding and experience of the Monaco circuit.

"I believe that the two of you are very clear about these theoretical data, so I won't say more, and now I will mainly talk about some things that are not in the theoretical data."

After saying this, Alessi first pointed to the starting position of the track and said: "The starting area is a right-hand arc acceleration section, and the drivers behind cannot see the cars in front of them. If the car in front slows down, the car behind will easily collide in a row, so if you don't get the cornering route at Turn 1, give up the best line to avoid the impact of the car behind. ”

It may sound like an inconsequential little thing from the start of the race, but in the real race, it is very likely that it will decide whether the race will end before it starts.

The Monaco circuit starts with an acceleration section that can reach speeds of more than 250 km/h in six gears, and if no other cars stop it, it can reach a maximum of 300 km/h, which is also the fastest section of the Monaco circuit.

However, because of the layout of the right curvature, the car behind is a little farther away and the car in front is not visible, and if the driver is blocked when he passes the first corner, then it is very likely that the brakes will not be timely at this speed, and a series of collisions will occur.

Historically, there has been a 10-car collision on this right-arc straight, which may be called the "most expensive." Finish.

"You can brake lightly at the sharp corner of track No. 5, because it's an uphill section, and the speed will be too low if you step on it heavily."

"The No. 6 Los hairpin corner, which is the slowest corner of all the F1 circuits, you can't think about any routing problems, you have to kill the steering wheel, otherwise you will find that the understeer and then correct it, it will delay the cornering time."

"Right Angle Bend No. 10 is followed by Right Angle Bend No. 11 to form the Z-shaped Bend. Although the middle straight may seem short, try to speed up as hard as you can, and don't worry about slowing down at Turn 11, the ground is rough and the grip is very good. ”

……

Little by little, Alessi passed on the experience of his career of more than ten years on the Monaco circuit to Zhang Yifei and Alonso.

There are many things in this that cannot be experienced by data, even on racing simulators. It's no wonder that Zhang Yifei and Alonso, no matter how they run the line, always have a much slower track record, because many third-party factors have not been added to the simulator.

For example, the effect of slope on speed, the effect of road roughness on braking, etc., if there is no such experience, then Zhang Yifei can only experience it slowly on the track.

But the problem is that every detail may not be taken care of in a short practice session, so now Alessi's understanding and experience of the track is particularly valuable!

And when it comes to the back, Alessi not only explained the track, but even told Zhang Yifei some of his own experience without reservation.

"In addition to its own control, there are also some off-site influencing factors, such as the Fairmont Tunnel under the hotel, the light changes greatly, and there is a chance of instantaneous blinding, so pay attention to the focus of your line of sight."

The hotel where Zhang Yifei stayed was built on the Monaco Race Tunnel, which is different from the artificial tunnel in Singapore, it is a real neighborhood tunnel, and the light changes very much.

In 2004, Schumacher, who was in full swing, was at the exit of the tunnel, and Montoya, who was dazzled by the alternation of light and dark, hit the guardrail and had to regret retiring.

Therefore, every time you pass through the Fairmont Tunnel, you must pay attention to the focus of your gaze, otherwise even if you don't hit others, it is easy for you to crash into the guardrail of the track when you rush out of the tunnel.

"The other thing is whether you can win the Monaco Grand Prix, in addition to the strength, a lot of times it really takes some luck. Not to mention that frequent safety car dispatches will affect the performance, even if it is blocked by a slow car and there is not enough space to pass, it may rewrite the final outcome. ”

"So the last thing I can say is good luck to you."

That's right, when Senna doesn't have the strength to crush all beings like Schumacher, luck becomes the key point.

Monaco has a lot of narrow roads, making it difficult for many slow cars to get out of an overtaking route. Even in the case of special bad luck, when you encounter a vehicle that is lapped, you can only follow behind honestly and get out of a particularly narrow section of road to overtake.

As Alessi said, when everything is ready, it's up to luck to strike.

After listening to Alessi's experience and understanding of the Monte Carlo circuit in Monaco, Zhang Yifei and Alonso wasted no time and immediately started comparative training on the racing simulator.

At the same time, in the process of training, Korsell and Alessi also guided the whole process. After all, tomorrow is the practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix, so there's not much time left.

When night fell, both Zhang Yifei and Alonso ran into the realm of 1 minute and 44 seconds, and the lap speed increased by as much as 0.5 seconds.

Although this lap time has not yet broken the track record set by Schumacher, it is much better than the previous one, at least it has the strength to compete!

With this foundation, coupled with the two days of practice matches tomorrow, Zhang Yifei finally has the confidence that he will break his wrist with Schumacher on this F1 crown jewel track.

At half past eleven in the evening, when Zhang Yifei finished a day's simulator practice and was about to return to his room to rest, he saw Alessi in the corridor. He was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the brightly lit Monaco circuit in front of him.

"You haven't been well yet, rest early."

Zhang Yifei walked over and said to Alessi that the living habits of professional drivers are very regular, and now it is too late at this point in time.

"You're still the same as before, you can squeeze your potential like a machine for victory."

Alessi said lightly that Zhang Yifei's practice today reminded him of the scene of the United States Grand Prix.

At that time, in order to prove himself and maintain the dignity of Chinese drivers, Zhang Yifei trained like he was dying, even in the interval between races.

Today's situation is very similar to the scene of the United States Grand Prix back then.

"Because I want to win the championship, not only for myself, but also for my country."

Zhang Yifei replied with a smile, even when he was a teammate, he had never told Alessy so openly and honestly about what he thought.

Life is sometimes really full of accidents, and I didn't expect that at Monaco Station, I would stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with Alessi and chat.

"Actually, I know the pressure you are facing, just as I chose to join the Prost team in the first place, but also to revive the dream of French racing, but I was also met with cold eyes and ridicule."

"What I couldn't do, I'm about to do in your hands."

There was a rare wry smile on Alessi's face, he had hoped to join hands with Prost to build a Grand France team at the pinnacle of racing, but it turned out to be a joke, and even the French companies laughed at their naivety and naivety.

I thought that this expectation would become a dream, but I didn't expect that in the end, a Chinese driver let me see the possibility of making my dream come true.

"But at least your dream of Greater France still has the foundation as support, without me, a Chinese, there are still the Americans and British of the Renault team, holding the banner of the French team, but fighting for the highest glory."

"And behind me, there is no one, and that's why I'm working so hard because I can't afford to lose."

When he heard this, Alessi withdrew his gaze from the brightly lit Monaco circuit and looked at Zhang Yifei who was standing beside him.

"Do you know why I chose to be your wingman last season?"

"Strength?"

Zhang Yifei asked tentatively.

Alessi shook his head, then said: "For a proud F1 driver, strength is not enough to completely surrender, let alone a Chinese newcomer like you. ”

"What's that?"

"Your desire for the championship and the honor of your country make me recognize and respect."

When he said this, what came to Alessi's mind was the ridicule and abuse of Zhang Yifei all over the track.

It is under this pressure that this young Chinese boy has never given in and surrendered, challenging the rules and injustice of this world. At least in Alessi's career, he's never seen that like that, so it was a big shock to him.

"Isn't the dream of your Grand France team the same?"

"Probably, but as you said before, the difficulty is different. The previous Ligier team could afford to lose, the Prost team actually could afford to lose, and even the current Renault team was not afraid of losing. ”

"And you, a Chinese boy, if you lose, there will be nothing behind."

Hearing this, Zhang Yifei smiled and did not continue.

Even if he was surprised to have a chance to talk to Alessi, he didn't want to complain like a complaining woman.

And in a sense, it is true that if you lose in this era, you will be gone, but at least in the future, Zhang Yifei is always full of hope for Chinese racing.

Zhang Yifei didn't speak, and Alessi naturally didn't want to continue chatting on this topic, after all, he and Zhang Yifei really didn't know each other to the point of being close friends, it was more of a kind of conceptual identity.

"I'll probably be back to France tomorrow after watching your first practice match."

"So fast?"

This time it was Zhang Yifei's turn to be surprised, he thought that Alessi would stay for at least a few days and watch the Monaco Grand Prix, but he didn't expect to leave tomorrow.

"I'm not an F1 driver anymore, and I've told you what to say today."

"I believe that with your talent and comprehension, you can basically master it, and those who can't master it for the time being, three practice matches are almost enough."

"Alessi, you have so much confidence in me?"

Zhang Yifei had a playful smile on his face, he really didn't expect that Alessi would think so highly of himself.

"If you don't have faith, will I be your wingman?"

Alessi ironically said that the Chinese driver, who he once looked down on, ended up making himself a wingman.

"Actually, I want you to stay and at least watch this Monaco Grand Prix."

Zhang Yifei said that this game was a lot of help from Alessi, and he hoped that Alessi could see that he had lived up to his efforts.

"No need, you and Alonso, I believe that the Prost team will run a good result."

"If I want to watch you fight, I look forward to witnessing your glorious moment of winning the World Championship on the Tokai Circuit in the future!"

"I'm looking forward to that day."

Zhang Yifei replied lightly, this is the biggest goal of his career.

After hearing this, Alessi didn't say anything more, but turned around and walked towards his room.

Maybe he stood in front of this floor-to-ceiling window tonight, just to have a few words with Zhang Yifei, after all, the two of them have been teammates for a year, and they haven't opened their hearts to say a few words.

Looking at Alonso's distant back, Zhang Yifei may only feel emotion in addition to gratitude in his heart.

In this Monaco Grand Prix, if nothing else, it is the French veteran who can give him the last help. Not as a wingman, but as a senior and former teammate.

In the future, you will win the game on your own!