Lewis Hamilton and McLaren say they are in no rush to secure a new long-term deal, but are getting on well at present.
Earlier in his fraught 2011 season there was speculation that Hamilton was eyeing a move to Red Bull and an end to his near-lifelong relationship with McLaren, who initially supported him in his teens in karting.
But that rumour lost momentum through the summer, and as other big names like Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull, Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Jenson Button and Ferrari number one Fernando Alonso all opted to commit to their current employers for the long term, the chances of Lewis jumping ship grew ever more slender.
Now both McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh and Hamilton say they are edging towards firming up a new future commitment, but see no need to hurry the process.
"I think Lewis and ourselves are in a really good place," said Whitmarsh.
"I think he's in a good place, I think he loves the team and we know him well.
"So we're not putting any timeframe on it, we'll see what happens over the course of the next year, there's plenty of time."
Hamilton endured arguably his worst Formula 1 season to date in 2011, finishing the season only fifth in the championship and regularly being out-paced by Button, although he did take three race wins.
His form improved in later races, as he ended a run of mistakes, put personal issues behind him, and returned to the top step of the podium in Abu Dhabi after a four-month absence.
Lewis agreed with Whitmarsh that continuing their partnership seemed sensible.
"I don't think there's any question of my commitment to the team, so there's no real rush to have to do anything," Hamilton told the Press Association.
"I'll just focus on the year.
"Martin has already spoken to me about re-signing, so I know it's there at some point, and I guess at some stage when we have time we'll sit down.
"But the most important thing is to focus on the season ahead."