Romain Grosjean says fighting in the unofficial "B" championship in formula one is nonetheless enjoyable.
The Frenchman drives for Haas, the small Ferrari-linked team that is locked in a close battle for fourth with Renault.
But not too far behind Renault and Haas are McLaren, Force India, Toro Rosso and Sauber, and Grosjean says that sort of close competition is what is missing at the front of the grid.
"The problem today is that there are two different F1s on the same track," he told France’s Auto Hebdo.
"The ’B’ F1 that I am in is pretty cool with nice fights," Grosjean added.
"At one race we’re ahead, at another it’s Force India, Renault, Sauber or Towo Rosso. There is action, competition, suspense. Everything that is missing at the front of the race, in fact.
"We go to Austin knowing that there will be a Mercedes or Ferrari on pole with the Red Bull behind. A crazy qualifying can make an interesting grid but everything quickly returns to normal in the race," he said.
"They have their race and we have ours. The cars are extremely reliable, crashes are rare, and no one runs out of fuel. There is no more surprise," added Grosjean.