Bottas doesn't have a specific goal in mind: "I don't want to mention a number"

Valtteri Bottas' Thursday morning didn't end well with a possible engine problem, but after the session, the Finn was relaxed under the circumstances. Bottas has a long season ahead of him if he wants to push his Mercedes teammate and six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton all the way.

Last season, Bottas completed his best-ever year with four wins and five poles. However, it was Hamilton who claimed the title with a certain ease. If he is to beat Hamilton, it's likely that he'll need more wins in the bank and continue the strong form that he started with in Australia.

In Barcelona, where pre-season testing is taking place, GPblog asked Bottas if he had a specific win number in mind.

"I don’t have a number. Obviously, there are many things that can affect how a season goes but obviously, it needs to be a bigger number. There’s no number. Just as many as possible, especially race wins but poles as well this season," Bottas told GPblog.

The forthcoming contract extension had a negative impact on the Finn in 2019. He will have to do the off-track work again. "I'm just ready for this season and I've had a good preparation. That is the most important thing and all peripheral issues will be settled further."