Chapter 275: Run-in Period (4)
I was very depressed. He has never been afraid of real fights, even if it is much better than a situation like the one that cannot be used now.
This Malaysian match was not without gain for Ye Feng, at least he regained the feeling of wanting to win the game in the confrontation with Alonso. This feeling is different from the psychology of Lao Ye telling himself that he must win! Although he had a high desire to win the new season, it was more of a natural psychological situation under various pressures.
And now Ye Feng has rediscovered this feeling of racing is more pure, it is the most primitive impulse about the race itself, which is only generated by the drivers in the race. In fact, the drivers who have Ye Feng's previous psychology often do not play as well as the drivers who only pay attention to the race itself, which is also the feeling that Ye Feng wants to get back the most but can't find in training. The disturbances and long truces during this period of time have really made Ye Feng forget what the game looks like, and a Ye Feng who has regained his rhythm is undoubtedly even more terrifying.
But having said that, what Ye Feng is most afraid of is the current kind of competition that is not lost in people but in the car. There's nothing more frustrating than this! But the reality is that the current Williams car is completely unable to compete with Renault car, so the depressed Ye Feng only walked lonely to the driver's tunnel for the second time this season, did not look at the close podium, and chose to leave early. And the explosion of Massa after a few laps once again proved that the explosion of Ye Fengdi was not accidental, and it seems that the Cosworth engine still has a long way to go if it wants to reforge its previous glory in F1......
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When Ye Feng returned to the team rest area arranged by the Malaysian Grand Prix Organizing Committee to take a hot bath. The game, which had been plagued by accidents from the beginning, was slowly coming to an end. Ye Feng's burst was not accidental, in fact it was less than 15 laps after he retired from the race. Another Cosworth engined Williams race car also spewed flames and smoke from the rear of the car. At this point, the Williams team did not make any breakthrough in the results, but both drivers retired from the race, which made the situation even more difficult for the team this year.
After fortunately and successfully "killing" Ye Feng, the roadblocker, Alonso and his Renault car became more and more courageous, and Fisichella, who had been leading the race before, also changed the decline of the previous race and became extremely stable. As the race drew to a close, one saw what happened almost as often in the second half of last season: two Renault cars took the top two spots! Only this time the first was replaced by Fisichella. This is perhaps the way the French team is sounding the horn to defend their title this year.
As for Trulli, who started from the 14th place and the 16th place on the grid, it was not easy to grab the fifth and sixth positions in the end. But such a result is hardly comparable to Renault's wild race. After two stops, Renault seems to have set the tone for the season once again......
After taking a comfortable bath, Ye Feng, who came out of his room, was in a slightly better mood than just now. By this time, the race was over, and many other team members could already be seen in the drivers' lounge. Just when Ye Feng was bored wandering in the hall, a person came to him, this person Ye Feng still knew and had dealt with, he was the current BMW team director Mario who had recruited Ye Feng. Tyson.
Ye Feng saw the person who single-handedly ousted Schultz from power and ended the cooperation between BMW and Williams, and Schultz also saw Ye Feng. Both of them slowed down, but they didn't mean to stop. Both sides looked at each other with complicated looks in their eyes......
For the current Ye Feng. He doesn't dwell on the things he used to do anymore. And in his state of mind at this time, he will see Mario again. Tyson, on the other hand, had a bitter taste. How nice it would be if Williams was still racing with BMW engines? Even the limited version of v1 is better than the current Cosworth v8! Ye Feng looked at each other, and there were complicated emotions in his eyes, today he lost in his own engine, so now seeing this "old friend" is a little more complicated.
Ye Feng's mood was complicated. Tyson's mood when he saw the Chinese driver across from him was not much simpler. The young man opposite is almost one of the few failures in his Tyson career! Originally, Tyson only felt a little sorry for not being able to recruit Ye Feng, a very talented young man. However, at the same time, due to the other party's disdainful attitude, Tyson actually looked down on this arrogant young man in his heart, after all, Ye Feng at that time was just some talent and talent in his opinion. It's not too important. He, Tyson, wanted to recruit this person at that time, but he was more interested in the huge market in China. In Tyson's view, it is not difficult to find a talented young driver like Ye Feng, so this feeling of regret and anger is actually gradually dissipated in the growing formation of the BMW team.
It's just that what happened later made Tyson a little unimaginable! Just when BMW announced its complete withdrawal from Williams, and everyone was waiting to watch the results of this desperate team plummet and no longer be brilliant again, what everyone, including Tyson, did not expect was that under the leadership of Ye Feng, the team not only did not rout, but created such brilliant results! If it weren't for Ye Feng's accident halfway through and his injury ended the season's journey, maybe the current defending champion was really not that Spaniard!
Such a thing really made Tyson and BMW executives incomprehensible! Why was it that when they backed Williams, the team's results were in shambles, and as soon as they announced their withdrawal, there was such an unbelievably strong rebound? At first, both Tyson and BMW's top brass thought it was absolutely accidental. Ye Feng and Williams will not continue this momentum for long. But as Ye Feng's blue chariot raced all the way, and even almost knocked off the leaders at the time, Alonso and Renault, Tyson and BMW executives realized that this was probably not an accident. Then, after in-depth learning with BMW's technical support engineers inside the Williams team, they learned what kind of energy a Chinese driver they didn't pay attention to! Ye Feng is definitely not just a driver, and when he puts aside the shackles of Schumacher Jr. and Montoya, he supports one independently
After. to really show all his talents......
At that time, BMW's senior management didn't say anything, but Tyson knew that this kind of silence was a serious mistake in the decision to give up Williams and Ye Feng before complaining about him. But at this point, Tyson has to work hard to make up for his mistake by building a successful BMW F1 team, and so far this season has seen that everything is going well for the BMW team. But only Tyson himself knows in his heart what he missed before, a mistake he will never forget in his life......
So these two people with their own thoughts "met in a narrow way". But just watching the other party pass by, no one stopped to say something......
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After two consecutive poor performances, the Williams team soon began to feel the pressure from all sides. The heaviest of these pressures naturally comes from sponsors. Due to BMW's withdrawal, 90% of Williams Racing's sponsors this year have only started working with the team this season. So they are more sensitive to the operation and performance of this new partner. Lenovo and Sinopec haven't shown any nervousness and suspicion more for Ye Feng, but other manufacturers who have just established a cooperative relationship with Williams are a little unable to sit still. As a result, Serena Williams Sr. is now almost invisible in the convoy in a wheelchair, because he is busy calming all the characters. Now the old man in England is busy trying to get up from his wheelchair......
In addition, the pressure within the team has become unprecedentedly great, and the positive optimism about the solution of the inherent problems of the car before the start of the season has disappeared, and every team member is anxious to come up with a solution, but also begins to question whether the Williams car can be perfectly matched with this Cosworth engine, especially when Ye Feng, who has always had whimsical ideas in technology. This pessimism began to permeate everywhere. And now that the most important thing is that the season has begun, the shift to global racing has left the team with no more energy to stop and discuss the solution. So at present, the Williams team can only seize the time to solve the problem of car and engine matching on the basis of maintaining the status quo, but this has formed a vicious circle, because no one knows what is the point of their current research and improvement if they lose like this. Maybe when they get the problem solved. This season, the daylily is also cold......
In the face of the current situation of the team, Ye Feng could not find a better way except to work hard with his teammates. With the gloomy atmosphere in the team, Ye Feng is now less and less confident in the prospect of the team winning the championship this season. Last season, the team had its early start troubles, but this time it was different. Last year's situation was that there were no problems with the racing itself. The problem is in the wind tunnel, without which the team would not be able to make fundamental adjustments to the car. But now the problem is the car itself, and the most critical engine! Now that Ferrari's V8 has broken the record set by a V10, Williams' Cosworth has been slow to perform at its fullest. This kind of car flaw is actually the biggest blow to the confidence of the team members, especially when the problem seems to be insurmountable at the moment......
In fact, Ye Feng and everyone also know that the most aggrieved should be the technical team of Cosworth, because there is actually no problem with this V8 empty aircraft test, but once it is installed on the car, it is always unable to exert its maximum ability. Right now. Ye Feng, who had been hit repeatedly, began to understand why Red Bull, which used the same frame and engine as the Ferrari team, did not run as fast as Ferrari itself. Some problems may not be solvable with existing technical capabilities.
And now Ye Feng has also begun to have a deeper understanding of the role that a driver can play in a team. In the final analysis, a driver needs a competitive car to play well. Otherwise, why would a figure as strong as Boss Cypriot switch to the more powerful Williams when he has not been able to win the championship for several years? Like another king, Schumacher, no matter how hard he tries, he can't turn the bad situation like last year around......
No matter how strong a person's ability is. There will be an end to it. No matter how good a driver is, no matter how much he has the spirit of a king, there is a situation that he cannot change. It's like Shuche King's championship in Benetton back then. You can't tell if it's because of Senna's death or if it's really the King of Cars who finally has the strength to reach the top. But it is undeniable that Schumacher had a good car at that time, and a good one can at least allow him to keep up with the opponent's car, and this is what Ye Feng lacks the most now! And the most important thing is that Ye Feng doesn't know if this situation can be changed as soon as possible......
Senna looked at Ye Feng, who had become more and more depressed recently, and he was actually very unbearable. But he didn't know what to say to comfort this "unlucky guy" who had been in trouble since he stepped into F1. The car god is silent again this time, on the one hand, because he is helpless about the current problems in the car, but more importantly, the car god himself has a deep understanding of life.
As for how much fate affects a driver, Senna probably knows all too well. It's one thing for a driver to be strong, but isn't his career experience an important factor in determining a driver's success? Actually, it's a question of who can't tell who causes and who has effect, but after suffering the loss of life and all such blows. Senna at least understood one thing, could it be that except for figures like him, Prost, and Schumacher who could become kings, other contemporaries were useless?
No! Definitely not! The difference in chance also determines the success or failure of a driver's life to a large extent! There is an old Chinese saying that the times make heroes, and this is not the case with F1. It wasn't until now that Senna discovered that he could teach Ye Feng everything he knew, but he still couldn't control Ye Feng's fate in his career, and some things might really not be changed by manpower! Otherwise, there would not be so many "uncrowned kings" in this world......
In Ye Feng's depressed thinking during this time, in fact, Senna also thought a lot about everything in the past. Looking back on the past and then relieving it is often in such a casual way. In the current Ye Feng, Senna actually saw the shadow of another self
:+Ye Feng has more relief from the past and a deeper understanding of life when he is here. Looking back, Senna no longer has so much nostalgia, but more gratitude for his legendary life. In Ye Feng's helplessness. Senna realized more of his luck at the beginning, and more of the people who had been forgotten by him in his most glorious years, who had silently helped him......
Therefore, from this point of view, Senna has another understanding of Ye Feng's current predicament. Tasting these hardships when he was young was actually not a bad thing for Ye Feng, a child. The success of his youth is naturally dazzling. But the thorns of his youth can also make Ye Feng understand more about the reasons for his success and the deeper value of life after his success in the future. Such an idea may be related to the factor of Ye Feng's Senna for the other party's spiritual victory, but even at this time, he still believes that Ye Feng will be a good driver and a good man in the future......
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"Ladies and gentlemen, this is this quarter's Public Satisfaction Survey report. It doesn't look like the company's sales prospects for sports cars and sports sedans are not very good! You see, this is a survey of the 18-group, which shows that more and more people are becoming obsessed with German sports cars and sports cars, and the biggest rise is undoubtedly Audi! Almost all of their recent models have been highly sought after! ”
In the huge postmodern conference room, a middle-aged white man sitting in the center is talking to the attendees. And from their expressions now. There is a hint of nervousness that can be seen. This is the headquarters of Ford, the world's third-largest automaker, in Dearborn, Michigan. The one who is speaking is none other than the company's CEO, Jack. Nasser. The meeting is now about the market share of sports cars and sports cars, and Ford is currently facing serious problems such as declining sales and large losses. At a time when sales of traditional passenger cars are becoming saturated in several of the world's largest car sales markets, major companies are eyeing emerging markets that are in the midst of a rapid expansion of sports cars and sports sedans. However, judging from the faces of Nasser and the others at this time, it is obvious that their current market share is not satisfactory even at all......
"Jack, guys, let me say a few words. In fact, since we acquired a part of Cosworth, we have made a series of progress in this field! But we should also note that the decision to let Audi buy the other half of Cosworth now seems to be a very unsuccessful decision! It is clear that Audi has much more to gain from this engine manufacturer than we get! So we have to pay attention to this issue! I hope you can think of an effective solution for the company! ”
Nasser's words were followed by Donald, the company's vice president, who was clearly more specific. It now looks like Audi has posed an unprecedented threat to Ford in North America and Europe, where the two companies were originally divided into Cosworth, then an independent manufacturer.
"As the head of the R&D team, my suggestion is to hope that the company will try to buy the other half of Cosworth with all its patents from Audi! I believe that with the support of the whole of Cosworth, we will be able to make a difference in this level of the market again! It was Crawford, the technical director, who spoke.
"I don't think it's enough to just buy Cosworth back! As it turned out, our withdrawal from many racing competitions was a big blow to the company's brand image of sports sedans and sports cars! Therefore, we recommend that companies still consider re-entering the top international competitions such as F1 and RC! After all, we have technical prowess that is not inferior to any of our opponents, so why not take it out and compete with them and promote ourselves? "Now it's Wood, the head of marketing. Bridge.
"What? Wood, do you think investing in motorsport is just talking? That's a lot of money! Now that the company's operation has become very difficult, where is the spare money to invest in those money-burning businesses? Clearly, Woodbridge's words touched the heart of Orr, who oversees the company's finances. Chet's nerves.
"Orr, you're wrong! In fact, if we buy back the other half of Cosworth from Audi as Mike suggested, we will have a very good opportunity to get involved in top motorsport without spending too much money! Listening to Chet's questioning, Bridge did not refute but continued to talk, judging from his calm but somewhat excited expression, it was clear that he had a high degree of confidence in what he was now proposing.
"Oh? Come and hear it! Hearing that there was an opportunity to make money for the company, Donald and the others couldn't sit still, and he urged Bridge to end the performance of selling off the gate and go straight to the point. Seeing that his words worked, Bridge also smiled faintly and continued to say to everyone:
"Haven't you forgotten that Williams didn't come to us in the first place? And now their engine provider is Cosworth, the other half of Audi's control! If we have a full Cowsworth, isn't that just like we're working with Williams? And if we solve the technical problems of a team that has been in trouble lately, it may not be long before we can surprise ourselves in F1 again! In that case, wouldn't the company have a good opportunity to promote itself? ”
"Yes! That's a good idea! And the most important thing is that now is the time for us to enter the Chinese market in a big way, I believe that with Ye Feng's image spokesperson, our cars will definitely sell well in China and even East Asia! It was clear that the people in this room were all smart masters of Ice and Snow, and they all quickly saw a huge potential business opportunity in Bridge's words. And Nassell's words set the tone for that sentiment......
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Perhaps the Williams, who are still grimacing in the terrible weather in England, could not have imagined that a meeting was going on in the distant United States that was destined to change their fate......