Lance Stroll believes Aston Martin can once again challenge for the podium at the 2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The British manufacturer have already scored three podiums in as many races so far this season thanks to Fernando Alonso’s exploits in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Stroll himself has earned two points finishes as well as a DNF in Jeddah.
The Baku streets will offer a totally different challenge to the three previous circuits but Stroll still believes the AMR23 can be competitive for the first sprint weekend of the season.
“I’ve got great memories here,” Stroll told the media ahead of the Azerbaijan GP. “It’s a track that’s a lot of fun to drive, really challenging and always offers some good racing.
“It’s been a great start to the season for us, another good result in Melbourne. I believe we’ve seen different patterns of tracks and coming here it’s a very different kind of track so we’ll see where we sit.
“I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t be competitive this weekend.”
Good omens
Stroll needed the spring break from F1 perhaps more than any other driver to get his hands sorted after a pre-season cycling accident which saw him miss the only test prior to the start of the season.
He has been managing the injuries ever since but three weeks without a race will have done him the world of good coming to a track where he has enjoyed success before.
The chaotic 2017 race in Azerbaijan saw the Canadian claim his first podium in F1 with third but it could have been second had Valtteri Bottas not slipstreamed past in the Mercedes on the run to the line.
Aston Martin also have form on the shore of the Caspian Sea as Sebastian Vettel claimed a podium in the hectic 2021 event after a late-race restart shuffled the pack.
