DECEMBER 1, 2016

Hamilton will not quit Mercedes says Hill

Damon Hill has rubbished rumours Lewis Hamilton might quit Mercedes.

Damon Hill has rubbished rumours Lewis Hamilton might quit Mercedes.

In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton refused to comment on speculation he almost quit after his collision with teammate Nico Rosberg in Spain.

Now, the Briton is off-side with team management again after his controversial 'backing up' tactics in the 2016 finale.

But 1996 world champion Hill told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport: "If you have a winning car, you don't give it up voluntarily.

"Look at Sebastian Vettel -- he won four titles, and now without a winning car you can see how hard that is for him."

Hill is also in the camp of those who think Rosberg fully deserves his 2016 title, which is "a sign of his determination".

Rosberg and Hill are the only two world champions in F1's history whose fathers also won motor sport's biggest prize.

But there are more famous sons on the horizon.

"Max Verstappen is already here, but there's also Giuliano Alesi and Mick Schumacher. For me it's logical that famous names are attractive for marketing reasons," said Hill.

"But without pace, a famous name will not help you," he added.

(GMM)