Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and More

Lewis Hamilton's victory in the Italian Grand Prix has cut Nico Rosberg's world-championship lead from 29 to 22 points with just six races of the 2014 Formula One season remaining.

And, according to the 2008 world champion, the points lead isn't the only thing he is eroding.

Hamilton has suggested that his Mercedes teammate is susceptible to the ever-increasing pressure of the title fight and that Rosberg's mistake at Monza, which saw him run off the track at the first chicane and gift Hamilton the lead, was not the first sign of strain this season.

Someone who, with two world championships in the bag, rarely shows signs of strain is Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard is arguably the most complete driver on the grid, but has been let down by his car in recent seasons.

And the Ferrari F14 T let him down at the worst possible race in the Italian Grand Prix, the team's home event, with Alonso suffering his first mechanical retirement for over four years in front of the Tifosi.

Elsewhere, it has been claimed that the F1 grid will be overhauled in 2015, with eight teams running up to three cars each.

That would mean the sport would lose three of its existing outfits, with the likes of Caterham and Sauber arguably the most vulnerable if the plans are confirmed.

Both teams, the only ones who are yet to register a point this season, are set for changes, with the former's CEO, Christijan Albers, stepping down from his role after just two months and five races in charge.

Sauber, meanwhile, are reportedly heading towards a takeover having struggled for finance over the last few years.

Here's this week's roundup. 

Lewis Hamilton Believes Nico Rosberg Will Crack in Title Battle Heat

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Lewis Hamilton has claimed that Nico Rosberg, his Mercedes teammate and championship rival, is vulnerable to pressure.

Hamilton inherited the lead of the Italian Grand Prix on Lap 29 when Rosberg made an error under braking for Monza's first chicane and was forced to take an off-track detour.

The German made a similar mistake in June's Canadian Grand Prix in a similar situation, opting to straight-line the final chicane of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after locking up a wheel while being chased by Hamilton.

And the 2008 world champion, whose Italian Grand Prix victory cut Rosberg's lead in the drivers' standings to 22 points with just six races remaining, believes that he has identified a weakness in his teammate's driving.

Hamilton, who decided against conserving his tyres in preparation for a late assault on Rosberg, told Pete Gill of Sky Sports: 

"

All those experiences you have, like Canada, you know that if you apply the pressure that it is a possibility. You never know if it’s going to happen, but all you can do is try.

I wanted to apply pressure. I knew that if I got to the end and tried to apply the pressure then I wouldn't be able to get past. 

"

Fernando Alonso Upset to Disappoint Ferrari Followers at Home Race

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

Fernando Alonso has expressed his disappointment at being unable to put on a show for Ferrari's fanbase in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The Spaniard suffered his first retirement since last year's Malaysian Grand Prix on Lap 29, slowing to a halt with an ERS problem at the first chicane—the exact spot where he withdrew from the 2006 event in Italy.

Alonso's failure to finish the race, 24 hours after enduring his worst qualification session since the German Grand Prix, capped a miserable weekend for the double world champion.

And the 33-year-old, who has recorded only two podium finishes this season, was saddened by the team's failure to repay the support of the Tifosi, telling ESPN F1:

"

Obviously we are not happy with the results in front of our people. This is one thing for the teams and one for the fans—we were not giving them any special result unfortunately; yesterday we were not fast enough and today we were struggling around position eight, seven, nine or whatever. 

We've been in a very difficult season but nevertheless from Thursday here everyone was giving us maximum support and cheering us on, we felt this love for our team in the good moments and in the bad moments and unfortunately we did not give them this support.

"

F1 Set for 3-Car Teams from 2015?

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Adam Parr, the former Williams employee, has claimed that F1 will undergo a huge shake-up from next season, with the number of teams on the grid cut from 11 to just eight.

And many of those teams, it has been suggested, will run up to three cars.

Parr took to Twitter to make the bold claim shortly after the Italian Grand Prix, writing: "This is the last year of F1 as we know it. In 2015 eight teams will contest the championship, with several teams entering three cars."

Although journalists such as NBC's Will Buxton have expressed a degree of doubt over Parr's comments, the long-term futures of at least three existing teams—Lotus, Sauber and Caterham—is known to be in serious doubt, with each of those outfits experiencing serious financial problems since the beginning of 2013.

And Bernie Ecclestone, F1's ringmaster, was quoted by Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Autosport) in July as stating that he was "ready for a Formula 1 with eight teams with three cars each."

Watch this space.

Christijan Albers Resigns After 2 Months at Caterham

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Christijan Albers has resigned from his role as CEO of Caterham after only two months.

The Dutchman, formerly a grand prix driver for Minardi, Midland and Spyker, had become the public face of the team after Tony Fernandes, the team's ex-owner, completed the sale of the team ahead of the British Grand Prix at the beginning of July.

Caterham's form, however, has failed to improve under his stewardship, with a best result of 15th at Silverstone courtesy of Kamui Kobayashi, who was replaced by Andre Lotterer for a one-off appearance in last month's Belgian Grand Prix.

And Albers has decided to step away from the backmarkers, telling Caterham's official website:

"

Over the past months I have dedicated all my energy to ensure the takeover of the team would go as smoothly as possible and to achieve the best possible result for our investors, sponsors and all the people involved with Caterham F1 Team. As such I worked tirelessly to reconstruct the team while, at the same time, making technical updates on the car. In doing this we created both a better foundation for the team's future and achieved significant improvements on the speed of the car.

Due to private reasons and in order to be able to spend more time with my family, I will resign from my position as CEO of Caterham F1 Team. I wish the team all the best in the future‎.

"

The team have announced that Manfredi Ravetto will replace Albers.

Sauber Set to Be Purchased by Lawrence Stroll

Alessandro Trovati/Associated Press

It emerged over the Italian Grand Prix weekend that the lowly Sauber team are set to undergo a change of ownership.

According to Nick DeGroot of Motorsport.com, Lawrence Stroll, a 55-year-old Canadian billionaire, is "looking to purchase" the Swiss outfit, who currently sit 10th in the constructors' standings having failed to score a single point this season.

The team's drivers, Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil—who claimed Sauber's best results of the season with 11th-place finishes in Australia and Hungary—are known to be providing funds to race in F1 and any injection of cash will only be a boost to a team who were regular podium finishers just two seasons ago.