F1: I was born to be useful, and you are all destined for greatness.

Chapter 14 Tang Jingning

"You know, pinpointing the root cause of a malfunction isn't easy," Tang Che said. "The team is analyzing it and should release an announcement soon."

Reporter: "Your feelings must have been very complicated at the moment the car lost power, right? After all, you were so close to the podium."

Tang Che: "I was indeed a little emotional at that moment, but I quickly let it go. I've done my best and left the rest to fate. I've done the best within my capabilities, and if fate doesn't allow it, there's nothing more I can say."

This passage is unremarkable when written in Chinese, but it becomes quite elegant when spoken in English, leaving the reporter stunned.

Reporter: What's going on? How come a Shakespeare suddenly appeared out of a group of sports students?

"I've heard some people say that your defense against Charles (Leclerc) was unnecessary, that you were either being foolish or trying to create space for Max." The reporter then asked, "What's your opinion?"

The reporter didn't make things up! The reporter came prepared!

After Tang Che's engine malfunctioned, many people on the internet immediately made similar comments.

The reason for this argument is simple—the AT03 doesn't seem capable of stopping an F1-75 at all, especially with older tires against newer ones. Townche's attempt to block Leclerc was futile. If Townche had simply let Leclerc and Verstappen pass, the car might have made it to the finish line, and even if they didn't get a podium finish, they would certainly have scored points.

However, Tontard made an unreasonable defensive choice, so fans could only speculate on Tontard's motives for choosing to defend, and from among the many speculations, they chose the most reasonable one - to help Verstappen gain position.

And why do I think this speculation is the most reasonable?

There are two reasons:

1. Tancher and Verstappen have a good personal relationship;

2. Red Bull and Alfa Romeo are related, and Tanger may have received veiled instructions to help Verstappen secure his place.

Tang Che laughed and said, "You have quite a vivid imagination."

Reporter: "What's the real reason you chose to play defense?"

Tanger: "A driver who craves victory will never give up his position, even in a battle where defeat is inevitable."

Indeed, his competitive spirit wouldn't allow Tang Che to give up his position.

Firstly, his competitive spirit wouldn't allow Tanger to surrender; secondly, his competitive spirit made Tanger want to test his skills against Leclerc.

Reporter: "What are your thoughts on those who think your defense against Charles was irrational?"

Tang Che: "I don't think there's anything irrational about it, it's just that the car broke down, which makes the choice seem irrational."

Those who say it was irrational are just being wise after the event; Tangtler couldn't have predicted the car would break down. If the car hadn't broken down, it wouldn't have mattered whether he defended or not; the result would have been Leclerc overtaking Tangtler anyway, and Tangtler would likely have dropped back to fourth place. In that case, when Verstappen retires, Tangtler will most likely be on the podium, and who will still say that Tangtler's defense against Leclerc was irrational?

The fact that the car broke down as soon as he defended Leclerc made it seem like the car broke down because of Taunter's defense against Leclerc, which made Taunter's defense against Leclerc seem irrational.

Reporter: "Before the race, many media outlets claimed that the AT03 had many problems, was extremely difficult to handle, and would perform exceptionally poorly throughout the season. Judging from its performance in this race, the car doesn't seem to be that bad; it just needs to improve its stability."

Tang Che: "It needs to be admitted that the AT03 does have some problems. But the car is still competitive, isn't it? As for the existing issues, I believe the team's engineers will optimize the car even better."

Reporter: We've asked all the usual questions, now it's time for something a little more exciting.

"Do you think Cheko unleashed the full potential of the RB18? If you were driving the RB18, could you do a better job than Cheko?"

Tanger: "Evaluating Cheko is the job of Red Bull's management, not mine. I remember saying before, there are no 'ifs'."

This answer was rather diplomatic, so diplomatic that the reporter found it hard to believe that Tang Che could say such a thing.

Reporter: Dude, aren't you known as the number one madman in the paddock? Was my question not sensational enough?

"Whether in qualifying or the race, Pierre's performance was far inferior to yours, and your team doesn't differentiate between number 1 and number 2 drivers. Do you think that's reasonable...?"

"Excuse me," Tang Jingqing interjected with a smile, "My husband, Tang Che, has a very important phone call to take, so let's end the interview here."

Tang Jingqing took Tang Che away to a secluded corner in the P room where no one would disturb him.

"Your mom just called you, but you didn't answer," Tang Jingqing said. "She texted me, asking you to call her back when you have time."

Tang Che nodded: "I'll go back now."

Tang Jingning answered the phone almost instantly: "Are you alright?"

Tang Che: "I'm fine."

Silence fell between the mother and son, neither knowing what to say.

The silence wasn't due to any estrangement between mother and son, but simply because they hadn't lived together for so long that neither of them knew how to interact with the other.

Both sides broke the silence simultaneously: "It's good that you're alright, you can continue with your work." / "It's very late back home now, you should go to sleep early."

After a moment of silence, they spoke simultaneously: "I'm going to sleep." / "Then I'll go back to work."

No one hung up the phone; silence followed.

Tang Jingqing couldn't bear to watch and couldn't help but interject, "Sister, don't worry, I'll take care of A-Che."

With a slight tremor of his hand, Tang Jingqing helped Tang Che hang up the phone.

"You two are really something, acting like you're just meeting on the phone every time," Tang Jingqing complained. "Blood is thicker than water, is it really that hard to say a few words?"

Tang Che seemed not to hear Tang Jingqing's complaint: "Will she go to bed early?"

Tang Jingqing blurted out, "No, she'll be glued to her phone searching for every piece of information about you, and it won't be over in two or three hours."

Tang Che paused for a moment: "Then haven't I disappointed her today?"

"Regarding track performance, she doesn't care whether you win or lose; she just wants you to fully enjoy the racing you love," Tang Jingqing said. "During this phone call, she actually hoped you could talk to her a little more."

Tang Che: "Then I'll call her again."

Tang Jingqing: "Do you have something to say?"

After a moment's hesitation, Tang Che said dejectedly, "No."

"Then wait until you have something to say before making the call, to avoid unnecessary embarrassment," Tang Jingqing said. "You don't necessarily have to make a phone call to talk; you can send her messages more often."

Tang Che: "My aunt is truly my guiding light."

Tang Jingqing rolled her eyes at Tang Che: "Alright, alright, if you could use the same energy you use to flatter me to improve your relationship with your son, why are every phone call so awkward?"

Tang Che scratched his head.

"Tom, it's time for your ice bath," Tom's physiotherapist said. "Also, Mattia asked me to tell you to do a post-match review immediately after your ice bath."