"Indeed, a regret! Didn't we also leave behind a regret back then?"
Hearing this, the chief engineer of Bentian sighed.
They also had a goal back then, but unfortunately, they didn't achieve it, which was a regret they left behind.
"We didn't achieve it back then, perhaps this young man in front of us can."
The man in the picture said, for some reason, he had very high expectations for that young man.
As for himself, after so many years, the passion of the past had long since calmed down. He had let go and would just treat it as a dream.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Old friend, when you retire, come to Dongya, and I'll treat you to a drink."
Seeming to feel a bit sad, the man in the picture changed the subject.
"You kid, it seems you really value that young man, haha." The chief engineer of Bentian laughed heartily, then changed the topic, "No need, when the race reaches the Dongya leg, you'll have to treat me to a drink."
"You old fellow, I won't be treating you to a drink on the day of the Dongya leg."
After their conversation, Chief Engineer Bentian's mood improved considerably.
Time flows, and crowds change.
Among the group from back then, apart from the few old mechanics remaining in the team, the rest had already retired.
Including one of his old partners, who was the former head of the team's technical department and chief engineer, had also stepped down last year to return home for retirement.
Now that he heard he would be retiring next year, his words were not as influential in the team. Perhaps this year would be the last year their team would compete for the championship.
The retirement of a chief engineer had a significant impact on the team. It was difficult for a new batch of recruits to reach the level of the old timers.
Just like the recent issue with the front wing, if it had been handled by the old timers in the technical department, such a low-level mistake would never have happened.
This was not a small problem. Once a driver was injured, all the team's previous efforts would be in vain.
Unless the driver was a genius like Lin Yan, the car's performance could greatly influence the outcome of the race.
...
Jialin Hotel, Thirtieth Floor, Grand God Private Room.
Inside the hundred-square-meter private room, the decor was luxurious and elegant. Everywhere the eye could see, even the chairs had gold thread patterns.
The dishes had been ordered by Ren Fei in advance, so the service was very fast.
The dishes were almost all served within five minutes of everyone sitting down.
"Brother Lin, I'll toast you. I'm not very good with words, but from now on, Brother Lin, you are my great benefactor. I'll do whatever you ask me to do."
After everyone was seated, Ren Fei was the first to raise his glass to toast Lin Yan. He was not a pretentious person. Given Lin Yan's status, it was definitely his ancestors' luck that Lin Yan would treat him this way.
After Ren Fei finished, the rest of the team staff followed.
"Come, let us toast Young Master. We wish Young Master another victory in the upcoming A-country leg."
Everyone stood up and raised their glasses to Lin Yan. Toasting was also a way of flattering.
As his employees, Lin Yan did not put on any airs of a leader. He raised his glass and simply touched theirs.
The thirtieth floor was already the most luxurious private room. Above that were Jialin's presidential suites. Fortunately, Ren Fei's family had some influence, otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to book it.
Ren Fei's family company was also affiliated with the Lin family, so they had some connections within Jialin Hotel.
In the afternoon, Ren Fei called his father for help. Upon learning that his son was appreciated by the young master of the Lin family, Ren Fei's father was quite pleased, as he had seen his son's efforts.
While helping his son pull strings, he also said a few encouraging words to his son, essentially telling Ren Fei to do a good job and not to be overly obsequious, but to do his own duties well.
He understood his own son. Ren Fei was not the type to curry favor.
Lin Yan was visiting this private room for the first time. The name "Grand God Private Room" was quite interesting.
However, Lin Yan did not like the decoration in this private room; it was a bit too ostentatious.
The tables, chairs, and tableware were all inlaid with gold edges, especially the tabletop, which was mainly gilded with jade as an accent. The entire decoration style of the private room was like this.
Although it looked very luxurious, Lin Yan still preferred a more understated decoration. This looked a bit like nouveau riche.
However, it did match the words "Grand God."
"Young Master, the latest news is that the Bentian team seems to be undergoing an upgrade?"
Halfway through the meal, Zhang Mingzhi suddenly leaned over and whispered in Lin Yan's ear.
Upgrade? So soon? The race had only just passed four rounds.
"What are the specific details? Did it succeed?"
Lin Yan was a little surprised. Normal car upgrades were usually done at the end of the season. This time, the Bentian team started so early, which showed that they took this season's competition very seriously.
The car upgrades for the six major factory teams were generally carried out at the end of the season because the cars at the beginning of the season were already the latest models for the year. It was necessary to observe for nearly half a season and, based on the driver's and car's integration, determine the direction of new upgrades.
Moreover, drivers participated in fewer races at the beginning of the season, making it difficult to identify the car's problems.
Upgrading a car once cost a lot of money, so it was better to save it up and fix it all at the end of the year.
However, upgrading the car from the fourth round was too early for Bentian.
In fact, the reason Bentian was so quick was entirely because of him. This upgrade by Bentian was completely aimed at Lin Yan.
"We don't know the results yet. We've only heard rumors, but according to my guess, the probability of success is very low."
Upgrading a car without multiple experiments is difficult to succeed. Zhang Mingzhi, being a professional, understood this clearly. Moreover, the chief engineer of the Bentian team had retired last year, making the chances of success even slimmer.
"Do you think we should do something as well?"
In his opinion, since the other party was upgrading, they could also upgrade. With Lin Yan here, money was definitely not a problem.
"Yes, but don't be too eager for quick success. Proceed step by step, focusing on improving cornering stability."
Based on Lin Yan's driving of the GP22 in the past few races, apart from poor cornering stability, there were no other major issues for now. It was best to focus on upgrading this aspect first. As for other areas, they would be addressed later if discovered.
Anyway, they had money. If they couldn't find any flaws, they could just upgrade everything.
With money, why not upgrade? Lin Yan would not play the game of conquering opponents with pure skill.
Although he believed that strength was true strength, if he had the conditions, having a stronger car was also acceptable.
If I can race you in a Ferrari, why would I drive a Wuling Hongguang?
Of course, factory cars were not that bad. The difference between new and old models was not that large, but it was magnified by these top drivers.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."