Red Bull team orders: 'Perez realises he has no freedom'

At the Mexico Grand Prix, will Red Bull Racing take away Sergio Perez's chance of victory in favour of Max Verstappen? José Antonio Cortés thinks so, although he doesn't expect it to happen at the last minute.

In the final phase of an exciting world championship a team generally focuses on one driver. That driver can still fight for the world title, the other driver has to support. In an exciting fight every point counts and sometimes second drivers are heartlessly sacrificed. Just ask Rubens Barrichello and Valtteri Bottas, who had to give up a victory to respectively Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

How sour would it be if Perez leads the Mexican Grand Prix, but has to give up the lead to Verstappen. The Mexican fans will of course be hoping for a win for their local hero, but Red Bull are also thinking about the world title.

''I think Sergio himself realises that the chances of him getting freedom here are very slim. First of all he has to be faster than Lewis Hamilton and Max, which honestly hasn't happened very often yet. And then the question remains: where is Hamilton driving? And where is Verstappen driving?", Cortés says to the AD.

The ESPN reporter also doesn't think Red Bull will let it come down to on-track manoeuvring. ''Sergio will still listen too, but of course Red Bull wants to avoid that call anyway.'' Cortés thinks a position change with a strategic move is more logical: ''That seems a bit more stylish to me ''.