Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula 1 champion, says Lewis Hamilton isn't quitting Mercedes, despite all the feathers he ruffled by ignoring team orders in Abu Dhabi.
In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton refused to comment on speculation he almost quit after his collision with teammate Nico Rosberg in Spain.
Now, Hamilton is taking heat from within team management again after his controversial "backing up" tactics in the 2016 finale. But 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 motorsport'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."
