Mercedes says it has assessed every area of the Malaysian Grand Prix to ensure it overcomes the threat of Ferrari in China.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won in Sepang, the first time Mercedes has been beaten on outright pace in the V6 turbo era. Team boss Toto Wolff says the result made Mercedes realise the fact Ferrari can pose a threat all season and it has reacted accordingly.
"We left Malaysia with plenty to think about," Wolff said. "It may have been a good result for the sport - but for us, it was a wake-up call. This is something you cannot afford to happen often and, although we had two cars on the podium, we have been looking very carefully at every area where we could have performed better.
"Our opposition has raised its game and we must now raise ours even further; as we have said since Melbourne, we expect a season-long battle for both world championships and we must maximise every opportunity. China is the next chance to do that - a circuit which has been a good hunting ground for the team.
"Lewis [Hamilton] has a great record here and for Nico [Rosberg], it's where he made his first step into the winners circle. We have the weapons at our disposal - and we need to make the most of them this weekend."
"We have the weapons at our disposal - and we need to make the most of them this weekend." Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Toto Wolff
Technical chief Paddy Lowe says tyre management has been the main focus since Sepang, where the team was unable to match Vettel's two-stop strategy.
"The most significant weakness was our tyre management during long runs. Exceptionally high track temperatures - even by Malaysian standards - contributed to this, however it is essential to have a car which performs at all circuits and in all conditions, so there is work to be done on that front.
"China presents a different challenge. Temperatures can vary dramatically year-on-year, but are generally quite low. It's also a front-limited circuit - the opposite of Sepang - with a good mix of corners and a long straight, so it will be interesting to see how the different cars perform at yet another circuit characteristic for this new season. It is now clearer than ever that there is serious competition for this world championship, so we will continue to work flat out for performance gains. We have a range of new aerodynamic developments for Shanghai and are targeting an improved performance from Malaysia."