Sergio Perez has no chance of a fair title fight against Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen, says former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean.
Verstappen is the runaway leader in the title race, 46 points clear of his nearest rival after just nine races as the winner of five of the last six. That second-placed contender is Perez, who emerged in the hunt to become champion after his Monaco Grand Prix success.
He is three points ahead of Charles Leclerc, who is still considered to be in the race for the title despite the reliability concerns that have affected his Ferrari in recent weeks. But Grosjean believes that the Mexican has no hope of challenging Verstappen due to team politics.
"No, Max is the number one and Sergio is number two," said the Frenchman when asked if he felt Perez would be given a fair chance. "That is the way Red Bull has always worked and all the radio communications you get in the race, even in Baku, the message to Perez was 'no fighting'.
"I mean, he was leading the race, why wouldn't he fight to keep the lead? It is very clear at Red Bull and, to be fair, Max has done such an incredible job for the team, that it is kind of normal that he has the priority."
Despite Verstappen's dominance in the face of some strong showings from Perez this season, Christian Horner has repeatedly insisted that the balance of power between the drivers is equal. "The number one driver is the driver that's ahead, it's as simple as that," he said earlier this month.
"That's why Checo got the call on the pit stop [in Monaco] – Max wouldn't even have had track position for example on that lap. But, our fight isn't between the two drivers, we've got a very competitive Ferrari with two fast drivers in it. Collectively as a team, we've got to take the fight and take the challenge to Ferrari, who are looking very quick this year."
Before that, as a new contract was announced for Perez, Horner implied that he has the belief that the Mexican is capable of going toe-to-toe with the defending champion. "Time and again he has proved himself to not only be a magnificent team player but, as his level of comfort has grown, he has become a real force to be reckoned with at the sharp end of the grid," he claimed.
"This year he has taken another step and the gap to world champion Max has closed significantly, evidenced by his superb pole position in Jeddah earlier this year and by his wonderful win in Monaco. For us, holding onto his pace, race craft and experience was a no-brainer and we are delighted that Checo will continue to race for the team until 2024."
