Max Verstappen and Lando Norris played down any talk of a serious feud between them.
And the Formula 1 title rivals even joked that their rivalry had led to a brawl in a local pub.
Norris was the Dutch champion's closest challenger last season, prompting some fiery encounters on track and stirring up conversations about the sport's handling of aggressive driving.
But it was nothing more than a laughing matter for them in a press conference during F1 testing on Thursday, where Verstappen quipped:
"It's a terrible relationship. We don't get on anymore. It's taken its toll."
That prompted a laugh from Norris who added to the joke with his own answer. The McLaren man said: "We had a fight the other day in a local pub."
Red Bull racer Verstappen grinned as he then added: "We had to get escorted [out]. I always say, 'You should have seen the other guy,' but actually he still looks good."
Norris was runner-up to the Dutchman last year but ended the campaign 63 points adrift of the champion.
Regardless, following McLaren's constructors' title success, the Brit enters 2025 as the bookies' favourite to become the drivers' champion for the first time.
Flashing back to the lessons learned from his failure to dislodge Verstappen from top spot last year, Norris said earlier this month that his intent to adopt an "elbows out" style against the four-time champion going forward.
But keen to downplay any suggestions of genuine discord between them, the 25-year-old added:
"I know there are going to be tough battles and I'm sure some of them are not always going to end the way I want or hopefully Max wants but we're racing drivers. We get along.
"I know everyone tries to make their own points and say what's correct and what's not correct, but we respect each other a lot and we look forward to more racing on track."
Norris set the pace at the end of the first day of testing in Bahrain on Wednesday.
He was keen to point out, however, that the point of these three days of on-track action is not to set quick lap times, but to get to grips with their new car and identify any potential problems so they can be fixed ahead of the first race of the year in Melbourne on March 16.
