A champagne-soaked Ross Brawn on Sunday confirmed that his title-chasing drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will be supported fairly in a free fight for the drivers' title.
The burly Englishman, surrounded by wild celebrations following veteran Brazilian Barrichello's triumph ahead of championship-leading Briton Button in the Italian Grand Prix, asked only that they compete fairly and openly.
Brawn said: "They have got to work together and it all has to be on top of the table."
Brawn's open and honest approach reflected a fresh and uplifting mood in the paddock after Barrichello had cut Button's lead to 14 points with four races remaining.
Just as the Brawn team have brought a refreshing simplicity back to the racing, so too has the prospect of Finn Ari Vatanen taking over as president of the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), enlivened the outlook of many seasoned observers in the paddock.
Brawn, once part of the Ferrari management, led by Vatanen's election rival Frenchman Jean Todt, that routinely issued team orders to prevent Barrichello challenging German Michael Schumacher, said he wanted to leave the drivers to it.
He said: "We will just leave them to it. They are old enough to deal with it. You have just got to make sure the atmosphere is calm, consistent and open and that there are no distractions."
Earlier Button said: "Rubens is obviously my big rival for the title now. That's good, because we get on great, but obviously we are both super-competitive and want to win, so we will race now until the end of the season, but keep it on the track."
Barrichello said: "I am going to give my very best. The title is my target and my dream -- everyone knows that. I'll just keep smiling and working and hopefully I'll get there.
"It's going to be a good, and a healthy, fight and I am looking forward to that. This is the end of that old thing in Formula One when people said that only a tough guy can take the title. We are nice guys and we are winning, so that is over now."