Fernando Alonso declared he would "love" to finish his Formula 1 career as team-mates with Lewis Hamilton again despite their fractious relationship the last time they worked together.
Hamilton came into F1 as a rookie with McLaren and was partnered with Alonso. The Spaniard was also in his first year with the team, but had joined from Renault where he had just won back-to-back titles and established himself as the man to beat on the grid.
Not that Hamilton shied away from the challenge. They finished the season level on points, but only after squabbling so much on and off the track that the Spaniard was moved on after a year and McLaren were left scarred by the experience.
They are both older now, though, more mature and are chasing the same thing. Hamilton and Alonso are desperate for one last taste of F1 glory before they call time on their trophy-laden careers.
Perhaps surprisingly, Alonso looks best placed to mount a title challenge right now. Mercedes have gone off the boil since the new car regulations came into force at the start of last season and Aston Martin have emerged as a front-runner at the perfect time, as far as the Spaniard is concerned.
At the age of 41, he finished on the podium in the first two races of the season and looks like he might be the closest challenger to the runaway Red Bulls this year. He is partnered by Lance Stroll, son of the team owner, but still Alonso dreams of a reunion with Hamilton.
Asked about such a prospect, Alonso told the Daily Mail : "It would be nice to end our careers together. I'd love that." He went on to declare that he is more than happy to put past differences aside if such a situation were to arise.
Alonso added: "We had a difficult season, but we respected what the other was doing on track and still do. We each consider the other to be a talented driver and one of the toughest competitors we have ever met.
"The situation that season was not well-managed by our bosses. We were young. We were immature. We were many of the things we are not now, and we needed help from the management that we didn't get.
"I couldn't continue with McLaren. It was a team with eyes totally one side of the garage. As Ron [Dennis, former McLaren team principal] said after the penultimate race in China, 'Our race isn't with [Felipe] Massa, it's with Fernando'. When your team says that, you cannot continue. But you learn in a career."
