"Senior Suzuki, my current achievements indeed do not qualify me to collaborate with ARTA."

"However, I have always remembered ARTA's founding motto: cultivate world-class drivers and pave the way from the bottom (karting) to the top (F1)."

"Senior Suzuki, have you forgotten?"

When ARTA was founded, besides achieving results, there was also a passion and original intention to nurture drivers.

In ten years, it has supported more than twenty drivers in various tiered events in Japan and overseas competitions.

Most of these training costs are actually unrecoverable, indicating that Suzuki Aguri is not someone solely driven by profit.

Passion might seem intangible and ridiculous, but often it leads people to make unexpected decisions.

Sure enough, when Chen Xiangbei mentioned this founding motto, Suzuki Aguri was stunned, as it was indeed his original intention without seeking returns.

But just then, Tsuchiya Keiichi beside him spoke up: "Xiangbei, ARTA team's goal is to focus on nurturing Japanese drivers, and you are not one."

Indeed, Suzuki Aguri is a strong nationalist. He almost destroyed himself trying to forcefully include Japanese F1 driver Ino Yuji in the Super Aguri Team.

Japanese drivers are the priority for ARTA, but Chen Xiangbei is Chinese.

"That's the reason for Super Aguri's failure!"

Chen Xiangbei unabashedly replied.

When he said this, the atmosphere in the room instantly froze; Tsuchiya Keiichi and Suzuki Aguri's faces were really grim.

Super Aguri announced its dissolution in May 2008, marking the shattering of Suzuki Aguri's dream and a lasting regret.

Chen Xiangbei, as a junior seeking aid, directly touched this sore spot of Super Aguri, which they naturally couldn't accept.

"Senior Suzuki, you should know ten years ago the Prost Team failed due to the stubbornness of an all-French team."

The dream of creating a national team wasn't exclusive to Suzuki Aguri; the renowned F1 driver, dubbed "The Professor" Prost, had it too.

He formed the eponymous Prost Team, obsessively pursuing the "all-French class" dream.

Insisting on French-marked car engines, insisting on French F1 drivers, even if performance was abysmal with a completion rate of less than thirty percent, he still persevered stubbornly.

The end result was obvious; after several years of struggling, the Prost Team collapsed in bankruptcy.

"Openness and inclusivity, gathering the strongest drivers and technology, is the essence of motor racing."

"Senior Suzuki, are you willing to let the Super Aguri Team disappear forever from the F1 Paddock?"

Chen Xiangbei believes anyone with aspirations for F1 would not want to abandon their initial dream.

Even people like Liang Chi and Zhang Zhicong, if given the chance, would strive for it. If their passion hadn't cooled, they wouldn't have pursued training themselves for formula racing!

Suzuki Aguri has already walked into the F1 Paddock; he definitely wouldn't want to leave despondently.

Additionally, the later signing of British driver Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri Team proves that Suzuki Aguri had already realized his problem; he just needed a change opportunity.

"Do you think you can lead Super Aguri back into F1?"

"Yes, now is the best time!"

Chen Xiangbei firmly replied, knowing Suzuki Aguri understood the implications behind his words.

Because Japan, at this stage, isn't just having a boom of F1 drivers; it's also the peak period for F1 teams.

Before 2008, Japan simultaneously had Honda, Toyota, and Super Aguri as three F1 teams in the paddock!

For one country to have three F1 teams, it was unimaginable in future generations, which indirectly proves how strong Japan's auto industry was during its golden era.

However, with the arrival of the 2008 financial crisis, the three Japanese teams almost simultaneously left the paddock, equivalent to a mass exit of top talents with F1 racing experience.

To resurrect Super Aguri, it must scheme now. Otherwise, once these former F1 team members have stable affiliations, the cost to poach them to form a team would be astronomical, or it might be impossible.

This is why Chen Xiangbei is eager to choose a partner to cultivate the foundation of the racing team.

Once this opportunity is missed, when F1 team bases become stable, why collaborate with a Chinese driver like you?

"I don't believe you can make it into F1."

Tsuchiya Keiichi replied from the side; it's not prejudice against Chen Xiangbei.

But for a Renault entry-level formula driver to claim he can lead the Super Aguri back to F1, it's simply a daydream.

"I believe!"

Just then the door of the room was pushed open from outside, and a familiar face appeared in Chen Xiangbei's view.

Sawano Hiroyuki from Honda Racing Academy appeared here!

"Sawano, why are you here?"

Seeing Sawano Hiroyuki, Suzuki Aguri and Tsuchiya Keiichi's faces were filled with surprise.

They're also acquaintances, knowing that Sawano Hiroyuki's SUPER GT championship title was won at ARTA driving a Honda NSX!

Sawano Hiroyuki oversees the race direction at Honda Racing Academy, and typically he doesn't interfere with administrative affairs related to the academy, nor does he know the contract negotiation details between Chen Xiangbei and Nakajima Goro.

He assumed Chen Xiangbei had already signed the driver contract, but today, when Nakajima Goro proactively mentioned Suzuki Aguri, Sawano Hiroyuki realized that this young man wants a collaborative model to gain more autonomy.

Hesitating for a long time, Sawano Hiroyuki decided to lend Chen Xiangbei a hand.

Because no one knew Chen Xiangbei's talent and hard work better than someone who spent day in and day out with him.

Even after winning the Renault Touring Championship, Chen Xiangbei didn't relax for half a day; he continued training at the academy daily and even further increased the intensity.

Sawano Hiroyuki has taught for so many years; he had never been so certain about any student making it into F1, but now he thinks Chen Xiangbei can.

Talent combined with hard work; if such a driver can't succeed, then who else can make it into F1?

After saying this, Sawano Hiroyuki threw another "heavy bomb."

"Suzuki, if ARTA signs Chen Xiangbei, I am willing to join as a race engineer."

Trust is never just a statement without basis; Sawano Hiroyuki chooses to advance and retreat together with Chen Xiangbei to show Tsuchiya Keiichi how firmly he believes this Chinese kid can achieve!

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