Other ideas?

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei say this, Nakajima Goro wore a somewhat surprised expression.

As one might expect, the relationship between a racing team and a driver is not equal, with the team usually holding absolute authority.

Especially for a top-tier car manufacturer like Honda, offering a driver contract is quite favorable, leaving no room for negotiations.

"Xiangbei, I think you may not understand the value of being an official Honda driver. Sometimes, ideas shouldn't be too many."

Facing Nakajima Goro's reminder, Chen Xiangbei nodded and said, "Principal Nakajima, I am well aware of the value of an official Honda driver and the technical support that the Honda Group can bring me."

"But I would prefer to take another approach for our cooperation."

Cooperation?

Upon hearing this term, Nakajima Goro's lips slightly curled up, revealing a hint of a smile.

A young man wanting to cooperate with the Honda Group is indeed quite interesting; Chen Xiangbei might be the first in recent years.

With a hint of curiosity, Nakajima Goro spread his hands and said, "Let's hear it, how do you plan to cooperate?"

"I want to become a driver for Nakajima Planning!"

After saying this, Chen Xiangbei also showed a playful smile.

Of course, he knew he didn't have the qualifications to negotiate with Honda; Chen Xiangbei wanted to discuss the private team!

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's answer, Nakajima Goro's curiosity grew even stronger. What exactly was this Chinese young man planning, choosing a private company over the Honda Group?

"Xiangbei, give me a reason to be convinced."

Nakajima Goro did not agree, nor did he refuse directly; he wanted to hear what Chen Xiangbei could say.

"The reason is simple, precisely because of the expansiveness of the Honda Group, their contract templates offer little room for negotiation, and I expect a certain degree of autonomy within the team."

"Impossible."

Facing Chen Xiangbei's idea, Nakajima Goro directly negated it; this was simply ludicrous.

Only if you reach the level of an F1 world champion or if you have the capital to form a team can you have a team compromise excessively on some autonomy.

Otherwise, ordinarily, a team wouldn't let a driver control autonomy.

Here's a simple example, if a driver has autonomy, would they still listen to team orders?

"I don't want to lead the team, I merely hope through a cooperative relationship to select more fitting team members."

Chen Xiangbei explained an idea, being fully aware that the team was the stronger party, and as a no-name novice, he had very little bargaining power.

He simply wanted, at the current stage, some of his own people within the team, and then negotiate more when he had more chips later on.

"What position?"

"Repair technicians."

Upon hearing that it was repair technicians, Nakajima Goro's demeanor slightly normalized.

The most basic technicians within a team are not considered core members and do not need any special technical background, just general racing knowledge and ordinary vehicle maintenance skills.

Normally, there's a large turnover among team repair technicians, and a portion of them may be part-time, making Chen Xiangbei's request not excessive.

"Why are you choosing Nakajima Planning?"

If it's just for knowing repair technicians, Chen Xiangbei really doesn't need to give up the Honda opportunity and choose the private Nakajima Planning, there must be a reason.

"It's the original reason, I need some autonomy, even if I shoulder the expenses of the events."

"Within professional racing companies, aside from Principal Nakajima, I don't know anyone else."

Chen Xiangbei spoke candidly, his options were limited, and Nakajima Planning was the only company with a foundation.

Of course, Chen Xiangbei also had an unspoken thought: Nakajima Planning was part of the Honda camp, key moments could still receive technical support from Honda, just with some differences in details.

"Self-funding event expenses, is that your bargaining chip for cooperation?"

"Yes, plus keeping the terms of the profit share unchanged!"

There's never a lack of risky businesses, but no one does a losing business.

Chen Xiangbei wanted to involve Huasi Sports' technicians to lay the groundwork for China's own racing team in the future, therefore funding and sincerity were necessary.

Otherwise, why would anyone help you in training the foundation talents of a racing team?

Self-funding combined with sponsorship share is the sincerity Chen Xiangbei shows.

For China's current racing scene, money can be found, but there's no channel or way for professional talents.

The reason Huasi Sports failed was that its operation model was akin to a joint venture, and internally, Japanese and Chinese sides basically functioned as two entirely different systems.

Chen Xiangbei definitely won't fall into the same trap; if he can get assistance from Honda (Nakajima Planning), crossing the most challenging independent step, everything afterward will be much smoother!

Faced with the conditions offered by Chen Xiangbei, Nakajima Goro's expression fell into contemplation.

To be honest, since Chen Xiangbei showed lap time prowess both on wet terrain and simulator circuits, Nakajima Goro had thought of signing this Chinese driver to become part of his Nakajima Team.

But as Chen Xiangbei's performances improved more, he gave up on this idea instead.

The reason being, all of Nakajima Team's racing projects are limited to Japan, with no plans for overseas expansion.

Clearly, as a Chinese person, Chen Xiangbei has no intention of staying in Japan for a long time to participate in domestic races. Moreover, having secured a ticket to Europe, everything smooth going afterwards, he would be striving for the pinnacle of formula racing, F1, through a journey mirroring Sato Takuma's experience.

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