"We're not in such a bad place in the championship and there is a very long way to go, but our rivals are very strong so we can't afford to make mistakes and we need to try to take as many points as possible from now on," he warned. "Last year in China we weren't quite able to win but this year our bike is working very well and, together with our tyre package, I think we should be fighting for the victory. The race in 2007 was very exciting I think, a long battle with Stoner; this year I hope for a similar battle with my rivals but with a different outcome!"
But Brivio warned that Rossi will need to overcome multiple opponents - both this weekend and beyond.
"Normally in China we have always been competitive but last year we couldn't win, we finished second. This year we'll try again but the competition will be much stronger because it is not only Stoner who is capable of fighting for victory, there are other competitive riders too," he said.
"It has been a really interesting season so far with three different winners in the opening three races," he reflected. "Lorenzo is the rookie and it's very surprising what he's doing but all three are young and it shows that the new generation is very strong. I think the three race winners so far [Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo] are our toughest competitors for the world championship so now we hope it is Valentino's turn."
Shanghai's 1.2km back straight will show just how engine progress Yamaha has made compared with one year ago, when Yamaha's M1 was over 15km/h slower than the Ducati's Desmosedici.
