Jenson Button has said that having Lewis Hamilton as his teammate is not "a stress-free situation".
Button, though, has enjoyed being kept on his toes by his fellow Briton over the past 18 months since joining McLaren-Mercedes after clinching the world championship with Brawn GP.
Hamilton has out-qualified Button by a ratio of 19-9 in their 28 grands prix together. In a race situation, the count is 18-10 in Hamilton's favour, with the 26 year old enjoying four victories compared to Button's three.
This season, however, nothing can separate them as they are tied on 109 points as they struggle to close the 95-point gap to Sebastian Vettel, the championship leader.
"I'd say in qualifying Lewis has been stronger since I've been in the team, not always, but through the season he has been stronger," he said.
"As for the racing, I think we've had some good races, even if I've started behind him ... We both have a good feeling within the team, we give a lot of feedback, we take the car in the right direction, so it's good having a teammate like Lewis because it does push you."
Button has long made it clear he would never accept being a bit-part player in a team, which is another reason why he enjoys equal billing within McLaren.
"It's not a stress-free situation, though, because we are both fighting and we are both competitive, but that's not a bad thing," Button said.
The 24-year-old Vettel would be happy to let them fight among themselves for anything behind him as he looks to win on home soil this weekend for the first time. And the Red Bull Racing driver is desperate for his seventh win of the season to come on his home track.
"One of the objectives a Formula One driver sets himself, is to win his home race," the German said
