Stoffel Vandoorne has offered the latest McLare🍒n jibe at Formula 1 engine partner Honda, joking that "at least the simulator is reliable" in aiding his preparation for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Relations between McLaren and Honda are currently at a low point amid ongoing struggles with the power unit, with a lack of performance and reli༒ability leaving the British team at the bottom of the constructors' championship.

While team-mate Fernando Alonso has been vocal about ꦓhis fr🐎ustration with Honda, Vandoorne has been more reserved, but offered a small dig during Thursday's FIA press conference ahead of his first outing at the Baku City Circuit.

"[I] definitely spend some time in the simulator like I do before every grand ꧂prix," Vandoorne said when asked about his preparat✱ions.

"A lot of laps in there. At least our simulator is reliable - and I managed to do൲ a good amount of laps there.

"I was here last y😼ear, I watched a lot of the races that happened here, in GP2, Formula 1 as well, some st꧒uff on onboard videos, that's about everything you can do."

Alonso rev🐽ealed earlier this week that his is due to start at the back of the grid due to power unit penalties, and Vandoorne expects to be in a similar situation.

"I don't think we have high hopes, but we will try our best from our side," Vandoorne sai💜d.

"We have some penalties already to start the weekend, which is not idꦰeal but this is the situation we are ♍in.

"We will try and make our best focus maybe a bit more on race runs and hopefully we can play a l꧋ittle bit during the race."