Renault expects its power unit to be more competitive in China and is aiming to take the fight to Williams.
Renault has admitted it made a backwards step with its power unit over the winter, while rivals Ferrari has made visible strides towards Mercedes. Reliability woes and struggles with driveability led to a rift with Red Bull after the Australian Grand Prix, though both parties took measures to mend the relationship in Malaysia.
However there was no escaping the fact Renault was still down on power compared to its two nearest rivals - Toro Rosso and Red Bull rounded off the points behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams. Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1's director of operations, is certain both teams can move up the pecking order in Shanghai.
"In Malaysia we got close to what we would consider the normal level of driveability we had at the end of 2014," he said. "For China we will have some small steps forward. We have continued the intensive test program started after Australia and we will see further results in Shanghai.
"Performance was likewise an improvement in Malaysia, although we did keep some in reserve to safeguard reliability. Now we are getting more confident in this area we can afford to be more aggressive and we should see better results on the straights, with a higher top speed. We finished in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth in Malaysia and with the improvements put in place we hope to be further up.
"Toro Rosso has shown it has a good basic car and the drivers are confident, while Red Bull should be on top of the issues experienced in Malaysia. With the improvements to driveability and overall performance, we hope we can fight the Williams cars and grab some more points in China."