[How is this possible!]
Staring at the number 13 car appearing beside him, Bottas experienced a huge shock to his perception!
Throughout his whole career, Bottas was known for a personality and driving style that wasn't aggressive. He could achieve top lap speeds without any confrontation, earning him the nickname "top driver".
But once caught in a pack or wheel-to-wheel competition, Bottas often found it difficult to gain the upper hand.
These traits almost seemed tailored for a number two driver, with single lap speed to test tires, engine, fuel load, or even to act as a "mobile chicane".
Lacking confrontation skills meant he couldn't compete with a number one driver for the championship.
This is why, among all of Hamilton's teammates, he got along so well with Bottas.
What driver wouldn't like a teammate that wasn't a threat?
Apart from the number two driver traits, Bottas wasn't particularly strong on starts either.
In the early phase with Williams and the Mercedes-Benz Mars Rover, this shortcoming wasn't obvious. At most, he couldn't overtake at the start, but relying on car performance to hold his position wasn't a problem.
Once car performance was similar or lacked, being "qualifying" level in F1 just wasn't enough.
Because there were bound to be some drivers showcasing "rocket starts".
Compared to this, Bottas' starts seemed "sluggish".
Today, Bottas' start wasn't slow, it could even be said it was above the standard. Coupled with the limited performance of the F3 spec car, overtaking him shouldn't have been easy.
Ricardo could overtake because, early on, he was indeed very talented, seen as the next WDC-level driver.
Bottas never expected that Chen Xiangbei could keep up with Ricardo and simultaneously overtake him!
Knowing that at this time Bottas had already completed shifting and acceleration, Chen Xiangbei wanting to overtake was even harder than Ricardo. What kind of godly reflexes did this Chinese kid have?
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second round of the F3 Spa race has just begun with a spectacular overtaking moment."
"Drivers from Australia, Ricardo, and from China, Xiangbei, nearly simultaneously overtook the front-row Bottas. Also, the seventh-positioned driver, Bianchi, made a start overtaking his opponents in front."
"It seems reverse starting can't hinder the play of talent, I'm truly curious and looking forward to what kind of visual feast driver Xiangbei can bring to the audience!"
James was highly excited; reverse starting truly tested the drivers' comprehensive abilities better.
Know that Bottas isn't a rookie; he has been the runner-up in the British Renault Formula, and the champion of the Renault European Cup.
This year's F3 European series sees him as one of the biggest favorites to win the championship, having had intense competition with Ricardo over seven races.
Rumors say Bottas has caught the eye of Sir Williams, and is about to be officially announced as a substitute driver for the Williams Team, ranked a level higher than Chen Xiangbei's test driver status.
James has always known that this Chinese kid, Chen Xiangbei, is very strong.
He just didn't expect that Bottas wouldn't even last until the T1 turn before being overtaken by driver Xiangbei. Where is the limit to this Chinese kid's potential?
"What's wrong with Bottas, his start reaction is so slow?"
"It's not that Bottas is slow, it's that Chen Xiangbei is too fast!"
"Driver Xiangbei is indeed the strongest F3 driver, it feels like he has no opponents at this level."
"Don't hype too early, Ricardo also completed an overtake."
"Overtaking side by side and overtaking from behind are not the same level of difficulty, Xiangbei is stronger than Ricardo!"
"Nonsense, Ricardo is the strongest F3 driver!"
The smoke between the audience in the stands is not inferior to the battle on the track.
Chen Xiangbei's performance has completely overturned many formula racing audience's perceptions.
They went from doubt, to acceptance, and finally became appraisers and admirers.
A short two days and three races at Spa have caused Chen Xiangbei's European supporters and fans to skyrocket.
Now his popularity is on par with the Australian driver Ricardo, and Chen Xiangbei is about to complete a transformation from Renault's "popularity king" to F3's "popularity king"!
After overtaking Bottas, Chen Xiangbei didn't hesitate at all. He immediately steered to block the path before Bottas.
To be honest, because of the later Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, Chen Xiangbei had an in-depth understanding of his teammate Bottas' driving style.
This inheritor of Finland's golden racing era continued Kimi Raikkonen's usual calm demeanor; he would never easily make any drastic moves, and his overtaking and dueling ability was relatively weak.
To put it bluntly, he was "easy to bully"!
Many times in the paddock, reality is just like this. Good people get bullied, good horses get ridden.
If your driving style is clean and proper, in duels, opponents take advantage and gain a tremendous psychological edge, posing an "I've got you" demeanor!
On the contrary, if you have a "notorious" reputation in the paddock, who dares to challenge you, you dare to push them off the track, forcing the opponent to play by the rules, at least not daring to push further.
Why, with just a one-point advantage, did Kimi Raikkonen win a world championship, yet earn worldwide praise and recognition?
Because he could win races with the cleanest and most beautiful style, making opponents lose convincingly!
In some ways, Chen Xiangbei's current actions were also a bit opportunistic, completing the overtake and then blocking Bottas' entry line, giving him no chance for a counterattack.
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