Lewis Hamilton's off-track relationship with his team-mate has gone from verbal sparring with Fernando Alonso to bashing away at a set of drums with Heikki Kovalainen.
A year ago Hamilton's bond with Alonso was on a downward spiral that eventually culminated in the Spaniard falling out with team boss Ron Dennis and leaving at the end of the year.
It is all so different with Kovalainen as they have become friends away from the track, which is unusual for drivers within the same team.
But Kovalainen lives just 10 miles away from Hamilton's home city of Geneva.
Hamilton moved to Switzerland after last season deciding to escape regular intrusion into his private life by quitting Britain.
That has resulted in the duo often meeting up when time allows to maintain their competitive edge in other sports, but also to share a recent new passion for Hamilton - the drums.
"He has actually bought a set for his home," revealed Kovalainen.
"I wouldn't buy a set for my home for the sake of my neighbours. I don't think that would be very good.
"But I go to Lewis' place in Geneva and play, and leave when the neighbours start to go crazy!
"There are other times I see him and we spend some time together, do some sports, so things are going fine between us.
"On the track we fight - I try to beat him and he tries to beat me - but we work for the team, and there's nothing to complain about.
"At the end of the day we both respect each other. We know what we have to do on the track, we both compete and race hard.
"But off the track we are similar. We both enjoy sports, and we are both very competitive, no matter what we do.
"I've also known his family since we raced in go-karting. I know the Hamiltons quite well.
"So for me, when I'm in Geneva and I've nothing else to do, we do some stuff together.
"Obviously, he has his commitments and I have mine, so it's not always possible to see one another, but it's all working fine."
Kovalainen, in his first year with McLaren after being released by Renault, knows on track his personal situation could improve.
The Finn has been embroiled in a number of unfortunate incidents this season that has resulted in him trailing Hamilton and Ferrari duo Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen by 24 points.
As you would expect, Kovalainen is refusing to throw in the towel on his season, with the 26-year-old adamant there is more to come.
"You haven't seen the best of me," insisted Kovalainen, still searching for his maiden victory in F1.
"The target is to achieve regular good results. This is what I am working on all the time because I want to be up there fighting.
"I'm still in a relatively new relationship with my team, so we can do more.
"Ultimately, we both want to win the championship, and we will do everything we can to achieve that.
"There are a few boxes I need to tick before then, but we are moving in the right direction. That's the main thing.
"So there's no point in me giving up or feeling sorry for myself. I will keep fighting."
