McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has hailed the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button as the best the marque has ever had - and one that prevents him looking like an idiot.

In the 16 months the two Britons have worked with one another they have dispelled all doubts they would be unable to work as a team.

Off track they have developed a healthy working relationship, even if they are not the type who would go down the pub for a pint or two, as suggested yesterday by Sebastian Vettel regarding any partnership in the paddock.

On track there is a healthy rivalry, one of clear respect as they have enjoyed a couple of tussles, notably here in Turkey last year when they finished one-two, and again in the last race in China.

As far as Whitmarsh is concerned he could not wish for a better pairing to represent McLaren as he said: "It's a fantastic relationship within the team.

"They are both very open with one another, they share information, they share jokes as well, and that helps the rest of us with that kind of harmony.

"You can't necessarily quantify it on the stopwatch, but it makes for a pleasant environment for the engineers.

"The good thing is they are major rivals on the track, and neither likes being beaten by the other, which is as it should be.

"Inevitably with two British drivers in the same team, who are also tremendously competitive individuals, there has always been hope in some corners of the media there would be aggravation, and who knows what might happen in the future.

"But so far it's been good, it looks as though it will continue to be so, and they'll continue to race each other on the track.

"We've seen that this year, that they are not giving any quarter, that they actually want to beat each other, but then they've a tremendous amount of trust and respect.

"That makes it easier when it comes to calming my nerves when I'm on the pit wall, wondering if I'm going to be the idiot team principal who allowed his drivers to race each other."

Asked if it was the best pairing he had been involved with, Whitmarsh added "From a relationship point of view, I think it is, yeah.

"As I've said, they're very good, they understand each other, but then it doesn't matter what I say.

"You only have to see it by coming into the McLaren hospitality unit. It's all very natural, not forced.

"There is a genuine warmth and affection between the two of them."

After finishing first and third quickest in practice today ahead of tomorrow's Turkish Grand Prix, with Button beating Hamilton by half a second around Istanbul Park, there is every chance the duo could go wheel to wheel again.

"It will be a great position to be in, but we will take it as it comes," said Hamilton, who has so far come out on top in both of his duels with Button.

"We're team-mates, we want to finish as high up as we can for the team, and we have no problems racing together.

"We proved that in the last race, and we proved it here last year, that we're fair fighters, but aggressive in hopefully the right way."

Button added: "We're out there racing, and in the back of your mind you know you don't want to crash into the back of your team-mate.

"But you are going to fight until the end if you have a chance of winning this race.

"We should be reasonably competitive here, and hopefully we will both be near the front and so can make a good race of it, as we did last year."

The McLaren pairing sandwiched Mercedes' Nico Rosberg whose team- mate Michael Schumacher was fourth as Mercedes power locked out the top four places.

Encouragingly for Force India's Paul di Resta, the Scot was eighth fastest and again ahead of Adrian Sutil.

But on a wretched day for world champion Sebastian Vettel, the 23-year-old sat out the entire second session after crashing his Red Bull with 30 minutes remaining in the morning run.