Alonso: McLaren pace issues not fixed for Baku

Fernando Alonso says McLaren are unlikely to have fixed their single-lap pace issues for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Neither Alonso or team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne have made it into Q3 at any of the three races in 2018, although the Spanish veteran has secured a top-10 finish each time.

Ditching Honda power units for Renault was supposed to help McLaren catch Formula 1's leading teams and, although they sit fourth in the constructors' standings, competing for race wins with the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull remains a faint possibility.

Fifth place in Australia is Alonso and McLaren's best result of the season so far, but the two-time world champion expects another fight through midfield in Baku.

He said in a team release: "We know our limitations and where we need to improve our package, and, although we bring parts to test to every race weekend, we aren't anticipating a radical change in our performance in Baku.

"However, we're learning more and more about the behaviour of our car each time we step into the cockpit, and in Azerbaijan we'll be maximising everything we have as usual to score as many points as possible."

A chaotic Baku race last year turned the natural order of things on its head, with Daniel Ricciardo taking an unlikely win, Lance Stroll securing an even more unlikely podium for Williams and Alonso scoring his first points of another disappointing Honda-powered season.

"Last year's race in Baku was certainly a memorable one for us," Alonso said.

"It was a crazy grand prix and we scored our first points of the season there, so we'll naturally be looking to repeat that this weekend.

"Even though it's only been on the calendar for a short time, this circuit is already known among the drivers as a great racer's track.

"It's the fastest street track of the year and also one of the longest, so it's pretty tough on the car and the driver, but that's definitely part of the appeal."