Carlos Sainz Jr. says he is remaining “patient” amid a difficult start to his 2019 Formula 1 campaign with McLaren.
Sainz Jr. moved across from Renault for this year but is one of only five drivers yet to score a point after the opening trio of grands prix.
An MGU-K failure brought his McLaren debut to a premature end in Australia while an early clash with Max Verstappen in Bahrain left him at the rear of the field. He took 14th in China in the wake of lap one contact with Daniil Kvyat.
“Last year I had a great race in Baku finishing fifth,” said Sainz Jr., looking ahead to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“My ambition is always to improve, at every track, every season, so hopefully we'll have a clean race and can perform strongly.
“It’s been a frustrating start to the championship, with too much going on out of my control, but that is also part of racing.
“I'm determined to keep pushing no matter what and remain patient. Hard work, positive attitude and dedication always pay off.”
Sainz Jr.’s team-mate, Lando Norris, was also caught up in the first lap clash in China, and is hopeful of better fortune in Azerbaijan.
“It’s an exciting track and I’m hoping it will give me a more exciting race than China, if we’re lucky we’ll have the chance to score some points,” he said.
“This street circuit is a little less forgiving than Australia and small mistakes can be punished harshly, so my focus is on avoiding that wherever possible. I want to be fighting for the duration of the race.”
McLaren holds seventh position in the Constructors’ Championship.
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