McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh has lavished praise on his all-British driver pairing for 2010, but has conceded that the expected competition between the two driver could well be exploited by a "one-man team" in the championship.
The McLaren team will have British world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at the team in 2010, a 'superteam' pairing of the like that has failed at McLaren many times before.
Most recently, in 2007, Hamilton and Fernando Alonso fell into infighting and controversy despite ostensibly having the faster package, allowing Kimi Raikkonen to take the drivers championship at the last round.
And although Whitmarsh thinks that the two drivers will work together well, he admitted that the competition in the partnership may well hinder their championship efforts in relation to another team with a more defined pecking order.
"I think it can be an issue to have two competitive drivers," Whitmarsh admitted, "The philosophy at McLaren has always been to go out there and get the best drivers we can, because they drive the team on. I think in Jenson and Lewis we have two drivers who are very honest and very open.
"They both want to beat each other of course, but I think it's going to be clean, open and co-operative."
He added that: "They are really super personalities, both of them, and terrific assets to the team. They have a good relationship and respect for one another, and I think there's that trust there that you don't always enjoy between team-mates.
"I'm not worried about polemics within the team, but inevitably if they are nip-and-tuck and taking points off each other, it's going to be difficult. I do accept that if we are successful and rotating the wins then we might inadvertently aid a one-man team – but hopefully they will both drive us forward and ahead of the competition."
Whitmarsh also said that he was looking forwards to fighting Mercedes as a rival on track in 2010, rather than working with them. Although McLaren will still be Mercedes-powered in 2010, they are now a privateer effort after the German marque formed their own works team by taking over the Brawn GP team.
"Mercedes have been fantastic partners for 16 years, and we are fortunate that they are going to remain partners for many years to come," the Englishman smiled, referring to their long-term engine supply deal signed over the winter.
"We will enjoy a different relationship this year, but I know that we will still benefit from great engines and will enjoy some great competition together, and we will have the same resources and facilities to develop the car as we have had in past seasons.
"It's not just about money – it's about efficiency, attitude, approach and processes, and we have all of those things."
He concluded that: "We know we must be at our best to beat the works Mercedes team, but we enjoy such challenges and are very much looking forward to the prospect of competing with them. I'm sure our friends and colleagues in Stuttgart want to see four silver cars at the front of every race – and I think they will look good together in convoy!"
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