Ferrari technical director James Allison believes Mercedes are again likely to lead the way in China this weekend . Fears of another season of domination from Mercedes were blown away by a shock , yet deserved victory for Sebastian Vettel last time out in Malaysia . It was the Maranello marque 's first success for almost two years and at least offered hope to neutrals that reigning champion Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Nico Rosberg will not have it all their own way . Sebastian Vettel won the second race of the season with victory in Malaysia last month . Vettel saw off the challenge from Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Malaysia . In searing heat and high track temperatures the Ferraris of Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were far kinder on their tyres , stopping only twice compared to the three trips to the pits for Hamilton and Rosberg . This weekend 's race at the Shanghai International Circuit , however , should favour Mercedes given the cooler climes than that of Sepang . Allison is certainly not expecting back-to-back Ferrari wins and said : 'Our car has a pretty decent cooling package . 'That allowed us to operate in the fierce temperatures like we experienced in Malaysia without having to open up the car . 'The track was also rough and hot , which is hard for tyres , and we 're fortunate the car goes well on its tyres . Hamilton celebrates his win in Australia . 'Quite what problems were going on in Merc-land I do n't know . 'But I 'm fairly sure we will have our work cut out in China to do as impressive a job as we did in Malaysia . ' As to whether Ferrari can stay the course with Mercedes and provide a season-long challenge , for now that is too difficult to determine . ' I do n't know about that . I 'll tell you at the end of the season , ' remarked Allison with a smile . 'In Melbourne ( the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ) Mercedes were very , very dominant , and we were better than we looked . 'Even in free air we would n't have held a candle to them there . 'There is a lot of work for us to do before we can head into every race weekend confident we can hunt for the victory from the first session of that weekend . 'But we do have a fairly exciting development plan , and we 've a lot of performance to bring . 'It should at least be an interesting season to see if we can close that gap so we are genuine contenders at any weekend . ' Crucially , and what may yet be a determining factor , Allison added : 'Normally over the course of a season being kind to your tyres is the best thing you can be . '
Mercedes won the second grand prix of the season in Malaysia . Sebastian Vettel 's victory was a shock given Ferrari ' strong start . But Mercedes 's technical director believes Ferrari will be strong in China . The cooler climate should suit Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg . CLICK HERE for the latest F1 news ahead of the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix .