Both drivers attended pre-China meeting - Lauda

Mercedes is pulling together to fend off the new threat posed by Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel’s Sepang win was a shock to the formerly-dominant reigning champions, prompting a rare factory get-together involving both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg late last week.

Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper said that, previously, meetings at Brackley usually involved Hamilton and Rosberg attending on different days.

"This time we were all there," said team chairman Niki Lauda. "We analysed the (Malaysia) race as one big group and now we are well equipped for China.

"We need to all pull on the same rope against Ferrari and Vettel," the F1 legend added, "and have no fighting within the team."

Meanwhile, f1-insider.com reports that the respective lawyers for Hamilton and Mercedes have finally approved a contract for the British driver beyond 2016.

The estimated EUR 40 million per year deal is expected to be announced before next weekend’s Chinese grand prix.