Webber believes Button, far right, remains the man to beat in the 2009 season

Mark Webber insists Brawn GP remain the team to beat despite Red Bull's impressive one-two at the China GP.

Webber followed Sebastian Vettel home at a rain-hit Shanghai to break Brawn GP's early season dominance.

But he told BBC Sport: "There's nothing to suggest a huge amount has changed since Malaysia when, in the dry, Brawn were a second faster than anyone else.

"That car is definitely strong and they are the team that is the benchmark for every team to try to close in on."

It was thought the wet conditions in Shanghai would open up the field and play into the hands of Brawn GP, the championship pace-setters who started fourth and fifth on the grid, but started with a heavier fuel load than the Red Bulls.

However, Brawn GP drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello could do nothing about the consistent pace of the Red Bulls in the soaking conditions, with Webber and, particularly, Vettel showing impressive pace and skill.

MARK WEBBER COLUMN It is imperative that the team keep pushing because the next three or four months will be absolutely crucial to how we do in the championship

The result ended Button's run of victories that kicked off the season and saw Red Bull close to within 16.5 points of Brawn GP in the constructors' championship.

However Webber does not believe the result spells the end of Brawn GP's dominance.

"If you look at the fuel-corrected timings, taking into account the loads being carried by each car, the grid would have been Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber so clearly we have to keep improving," he said.

"We have some good momentum coming off what was a special afternoon but we realise we're not going to get 18 points every weekend.

"We have to maximise our car's performance every weekend - especially with a mind to the development race we have going on off the track, which is incredible.

"All the teams have got new stuff coming and that is going to move the performance barrier around from team to team, so we have to hope we can continue to push the performance of the car to stay up with the best."

Renault reacted very quickly and had the new-style diffuser at the last race, but we won't be seeing one on a Red Bull for a while yet Mark Webber

One such development many teams are working on, is the new-style diffuser which has so aided Brawn GP so far this campaign and which was declared legal by the sport's governing body the FIA only last week.

Australian Webber admits Red Bull are still playing catch-up, adding: "Obviously Renault reacted very quickly and had the new-style diffuser at the last race, but we won't be seeing one on a Red Bull for a while yet - maybe the early part of the European season.

"It was only a week ago that this was cleared up and so now we need to understand what this car needs in the future and that will be bolted on accordingly."

Red Bull can, though, remain competitive as long as they continue to improve the car race-by-race, according to Webber.

"The challenge now is to continue to push the performance every race to ensure the car stays at this level.

"It is imperative that the team, myself and Sebastian keep going and keep pushing, because the next three or four months will be absolutely crucial to how we do in the championship."

The next race in Bahrain takes place on Sunday, 26 April.

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