DAMON HILL was again linked to a switch of teams from Williams to McLaren last night after the Mercedes-Benz-powered outfit announced a massive new sponsorship deal.

McLaren said they would be severing their 23-year relationship with Marlboro at the end of the season and had agreed a five-year deal, said to be worth around £125 million, from the owners of the German cigarette brand West.

Hill, who leads this year's drivers' championship by 13 points, is a free agent at the end of the season and is considering leaving Williams if he cannot reach a satisfactory agreement with the team.

In the past, Williams have failed to keep several drivers who have won championships with them including Brazilian Nelson Piquet in 1987, Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Frenchman Alain Prost in 1993.

Hill was team mate to Prost, a four-times champion, in 1993 and the two worked well together and became friends. Prost, now with McLaren as a technical adviser, is known to be an admirer of Hill and believes he is underrated.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has refused to deny he is interested in Hill, but would say only that his driver line-up next season would be David Coulthard and the best available driver in the opinion, of McLaren and Mercedes-Benz

Hill is known to have met Dennis during a holiday in the south of France recently and it is believed he has also begun talks with at least two other teams.

Hill could clinch his first drivers' championship at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 8th should he win and team mate Jacques Villeneuve fail to finish.