Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes the political relationship with Ferrari is "very important" for the future of Formula 1.
As the sport's two leading manufacturers, they have become very closely aligned in trying to maintain the status quo in the sport in the face of Liberty Media's efforts to overhaul the entire structure from 2021.
From engines to finances, both have read from the same sheet but Wolff admits that harmony isn't always easy to find.
"I think it is very difficult to maintain a very amicable gentleman attitude during the season when each group is obsessed about winning," he told Motorsport.com.
Even so, this off-season has allowed that tension to ease...
"We can see that things are coming back to normality now because it is our joint platform and we need to make it function," the Austrian continued.
"We need to have a relationship to discuss things and that is why I think it is completely normal that there are times when it is more difficult and there are times that it is easy.
"Those times where we talk to each other in a productive way are very important for F1, and for us as teams," Wolff concluded.
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There has been a level of compromise on several areas, with the manufacturers getting their way on engines with a more watered down version of the initial proposals.
Now, the big battle does appear to be financial as Liberty attempt to level the distribution of revenue and implement a budget cap both of which would likely come to Mercedes and Ferrari's detriment.
