Toto Wolff has played down reports that Fernando Alonso almost replaced reigning champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes last year.

Alonso had made the claims on Spanish radio, revealing that talks took place when he was still a Ferrari driver about trading places with Mercedes's British star.

"It was tried. Yes, yes, there was this offer," the Spaniard said.

Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, has played down Alonso's claims.

"We should be careful what is said in the media," The Mirror quotes him as saying.

"There was some interest expressed but we were in negotiation with Lewis at the time. What I said to Fernando was that while we were negotiating with Lewis, we wouldn't talk to anyone else. And we stuck to that commitment."

It is believed that the 2015 swap between Mercedes and Ferrari was touted because neither the drivers nor Mercedes had the appetite to pair Hamilton with Alonso.