When it was announced that reigning world champion Jenson Button would be joining 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton at the McLaren Mercedes team for the next three years, speculation began about just how the two fastest men  in the sport over the past two years would fit together and be able to work amicably side by side in the same team, as their competitive natures would surely cause conflict, but bosses at the Woking based assured everyone at the time that the two British racers would get along superbly.

Now, going one step further, team boss Martin Whitmarsh has told the Independent that he is more than confident that they will be able to cope with the two racers and that they will both be free to race each other for wins and the championship crown throughout the year. The only thing that will be asked from either on them on that note is that they have respect for each other as racers when they are fighting it out on track...

“We feel confident that as an organisation we'll be able to manage the demands and expectations of our drivers. Lewis and Jenson are both world champions, they know what it takes to win, and I'm sure they'll both be very motivated to push each other to deliver even greater results,” he said. “It's my job to positively harness that competitiveness for the greater benefit of the team. It's a proposition that some teams might find troubling, but which we are absolutely relishing - it's a very nice problem to have!”