Valtteri Bottas says Mercedes’ 2020 Formula 1 c☂ar “feels good” but has “ꦬweaknesses” to work on after conducting its initial run during pre-season testing.

Bottas topped the morning session on the opening day of winter testing at Barcelona and completed 79 laps behind the wheel of Mercedes’ W11, before ha🗹nding over to teammate and defending world champion Lewis Hamilton to compete the afternoon running.

Speaking after his first experience of driving Merce🧸des’ latest F1 car in anger, Bottas revealed there are still areas for the German manufacturer to work on, despite a trouble-free day so far.

“It was💜 a good morning, we’ve done e♌verything we planned,” Bottas explained.

“There were no issues and th🔯e car feels good. Obviously it can sꦓtill be better but a really nice starting point.”

Asked🐟 if there were any noticeable w🐓eaknesses with the car, Bottas replied: "For sure it has weaknesses.

“This is a good track for testing because there’s all types of corners, high-speed corners, medium cﷺorners and a quite twisty last sector.

“Balance-wise, particularity in the speed range, we haveꦰ some things to work on but that’s why we are ♑here.

"Nowadays the simulation is so important and that’s why ev▨erything normally works so well straight out fr🌳om the box,” he added.

"It’s 🐭so important. To be honest when we♈ started with this car it was not that far away that we expected.

“Sometimes there is a biꦗt of a difference from theory and r✃eal life but it’s getting closer.”

Six-time w🏅orld champion Hamilton has already completed over 40 laps in the afternoon and currently leads the way, ha✱ving set a lap time 0.020s faster than what Bottas managed in the morning.

Mercedes is looking to become the first team in F1 history to win seven consecutive constructors’ titles and seven world championship doubles on💟 the bounce in 2020.