Jean Alesi has said that he thinks his former Formula 1 team Ferrari are finally ready to challenge for the title.

The Frenchman, whose only win for the Italian team was in 1995, said that their decade-long wait for a world championship could now be over.

"The step into the new regulations was very unclear," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "There were a thousand doubts about what Mercedes or Red Bull would do.

"But after Australia, I now expect Ferrari to confirm that performance in China. The ease with which [Sebastian] Vettel followed [Lewis] Hamilton in the race was astonishing, while Hamilton had no chance to follow Vettel.

"When a car is good from the beginning, the development is also easier."

However, former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore thinks that it is a little early to say Ferrari will definitely fight for the 2017 crown.

"We will get a clearer picture in China," said the Italian.

"The Ferrari victory was great, but Melbourne is a special circuit and I still expect big things from Red Bull and Mercedes. In an ideal case, we will have a three-way fight for the championship."

Ferrari sit four points ahead of Mercedes going into the race in Shanghai.