Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has urged Toto Wolff not to consider Sebastian Vettel for Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be-vacant Mercedes seat.

Vettel and Wolff are believed to have held talks over the position, and the Silver Arrows boss has admitted that a driver of the German’s calibre ‘cannot be discounted’.

However, Hill told Sky Sports F1: “He burned very brightly for an intense period, then something happened.

“It petered out. It bumped along. I never saw that form of the youthful Vettel that was dominant. He was great at the beginning of his career. Then, when it got difficult at Ferrari, it became a labour.

“Would you, as a team boss, take a chance on him rediscovering his form? I wouldn’t, frankly.”