Rossi has previously blamed the championship’s switch to Magneti Marelli control electronics in 2016 for Yamaha’s issues, which reappeared during both pre-season tests.
And MotoGP broadcaster Perry believes the Italian will be losing patience with the team over their inability to solve the problems ahead of the 2018 season opener this weekend.
“He will be irritated by his problems with the bike,” BT Sport pundit Perry told Express Sport.
“He wants the best bike in the paddock ideally – but he wants a bike that he knows he can win on.
“He doesn’t have to have the best bike to win on it but with Honda coming out so quickly, that’s got to be a worry.
“That will be their main concern, the fact that Dani [Pedrosa, Honda rider] was fastest at the last test.”
Rossi has not won a title since taking his seventh world crown in 2009 and would dearly love to challenge again in 2018, having signed a new contract with Yamaha that will keep him with the team until 2020.
Team-mate Maverick Vinales is also set for three more years with the Japanese bike manufacturer and is expected to run Rossi close in the internal battle this year.
But Perry is confident that any tension the two Yamaha riders displayed last year was down the technical issues rather than any personal ones.
“It has to be managed properly,” Perry added.
“But you had a lot of conflict with Jorge [Lorenzo] and Valentino and I didn’t see any level of conflict with Maverick and Valentino last year.
“Maverick was massively disappointed and arguably his head went at some point as well with what was going on with the bike because in pre-season testing he was the hottest thing on the planet.
“He was hugely disappointed and Valentino was hugely disappointed with that bike last year.
“But in terms of dynamics of relationships, the team probably don’t have to have two riders that get on.
“If you have one that pushes the other, you get the best out of your guys. That does happen.”
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