Lewis Hamilton's boss, Ron Dennis, has denied favouring the Formula One championship leader over his McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen.
Hamilton leads the current drivers standings with 70 points while Kovalainen is fifth with 43 but McLaren team principal Dennis has reasserted the policy neither driver is favoured.
Dennis has also rejected the idea of team orders at McLaren even though Hamilton appears to have the best chance of winning the drivers' title.
Dennis said: "Our policy regarding equal opportunities and team orders is well known."
Double world champion Fernando Alonso left McLaren at the end of last season after claiming the team favoured Hamilton over him, which Dennis denied.
But the team has been a much more harmonious place since Kovalainen joined, and he recently confirmed he would drive alongside Hamilton again in 2009.
Dennis told the official Formula One website: "We always aim to hire the two best drivers available, and we always then aim to give them equal opportunities to optimise their chances to win grands prix and world championships.
"Sometimes that policy has been criticised by those who believe that a policy of running a number one driver supported by a number two driver, with or without team orders, is a better strategy. Well, we don't accept that.
"We exist to win - and all our employees, including all our drivers, buy into that."
Dennis has also endorsed Kovalainen's efforts this season, which saw him take his first F1 race win in Hungary.
"Heikki is doing a fabulous job this year - as his recent victory at the Hungaroring showed only too clearly," said Dennis.
"His qualifying pace has been extremely strong all year, and his race pace is improving all the time."
Dennis praised the close working relationship Hamilton and Kovalainen enjoy, in contrast to the fractious atmosphere at McLaren last season when Alonso drove for the team.
"He's a pleasure to have in our team, and he and Lewis have a very good relationship with each other," Dennis added.
"I'd describe them as competitive and co-operative in equal measure, which is exactly what every team wants from its driver line-up.
"Heikki is doing a very good job for us this year, and he'll continue to do a very good job for us next year."
Dennis also declared his belief Hamilton's world title ambitions are best served by his current personal and team set-up.
The McLaren boss said: "Lewis is a thoroughly well brought up individual, who is both grounded and intelligent.
"His father, Anthony, is also his manager, and both of them have been part of the McLaren 'family' for a very long time.
"As such, although Lewis' global appeal is growing all the time, and understandably so, he remains as polite and as unassuming now as he's always been.
"As regards business opportunities for him, the McLaren Group numbers a workforce of 1,300 expert and experienced individuals, specialising in all sorts of disparate yet discrete disciplines.
"As a result, I feel confident that no other team has the infrastructure to offer its drivers the level of support that McLaren Mercedes does, across a wide variety of areas."
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