After bagging a good set of points in Singapore, Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas is hoping to reel in and overhaul Sebastian Vettel in the championship standings.
With six races remaining, the title fight is now weighted in favour of Lewis Hamilton after Vettel's written off race and Ferrari's double disaster in Marina Bay.
While he still stands a mathematical chance of winning the 2017 title, Bottas admits it would be a tall order. The Finn however reckons a spot as runner-up behind his team mate is definitely in the cards.
"I think that is definitely the next target for me – and, yes, it is possible," said Bottas, who finished third in last Sunday's Singapore GP.
"This was good race for us, for me and Lewis in terms of points. The next couple of races are hopefully good for us.
"But we are not underestimating Ferrari. For sure, they can still have strong weekends. Six races to go, there are still plenty of points to get, so it is a good target for me."
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the German outfit still isn't inclined to impose team orders on its drivers, but Bottas reckons he will get the support he needs to fight and beat Vettel.
"The hunger to win and to finish strong is so big that definitely we want to be 1-2 in the drivers’ championship," he said.
"The priority is to get the constructors, but we want to be 1-2. For the team, it is important to win the drivers’ championship.
"I will just focus on trying to get Sebastian, and I am sure the team is behind me as well.
"I am not thinking too much about the gap to Lewis. It is quite big now but I just need to go race-by-race and close it until the end, if there are still possibilities or not.
"He is having a good run at the moment but I just need to raise my game and then it is quite open."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
