McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne says he wants to improve his start performance off the back of a couple of compromised first-lap displays in 2018.
Vandoorne maintained his grid position in Australia but dropped from 14th to 18th in Bahrain and lost two places on the opening lap in China.
Vandoorne recouped the lost ground but is aware he must avoid another first-lap loss if he is to maximise his prospects in Formula 1’s closely-matched midfield group.
“As well as making sure we set ourselves up on the right strategy, for me the start will be crucial on Sunday,” said Vandoorne.
“I’ve not had the best starts over the last couple of races and with overtaking tough here we need to try to maximise our starting position.
“In China, we fought hard but I picked up some floor damage which made pushing ahead very difficult, so I’m looking forward to a tight battle in the midfield and progressing as much as we can in the race.”
Expanding further on the upcoming Azerbaijan GP weekend, Vandoorne said: “Baku City Circuit is a pretty tough but also enjoyable track, and it’s quite challenging for the drivers.
“You literally drive through the historic centre of the old town which was a really cool experience last year, and overtaking is tricky on the narrow streets.
“Saying that, we saw anything but a processional race last year and hopefully we can take advantage of any drama that this track throws at us next weekend.
“Last year was tough as the only real overtaking opportunity is at the end of the long straight, and it’ll be tricky for us again, but we’ll see what’s possible with the MCL33.”
