Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and More

After claiming his second victory of the 2016 Formula One season in the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton's title challenge is very much back on track.

Forty-three points behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg after the opening five races, the three-time world champion has taken just two rounds to slice that gap to nine.

Hamilton admitted he was relieved to cross the finish line at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after a one-stop strategy allowed him to withstand the threat of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

The British driver dedicated his win to the late Muhammad Ali, and Hamilton was particularly punchy at the start of the race, when he shoved Rosberg wide and off the track at Turn 1.

That incident dropped the German down the order and Rosberg has admitted he was less than impressed by his team-mate's conduct at the first corner.

For the third race in succession, Daniel Ricciardo was also unimpressed with his colleagues at Red Bull after an anonymous drive to seventh place, while Kimi Raikkonen has admitted he is unhappy with his own form having slipped from second to fifth in the drivers' standings in the space of a month.

Closing this week's roundup is Ferrari technical director James Allison, who may be set for a return to Renault.

Lewis Hamilton Was 'A Bit Nervous' over Mercedes' Canadian GP Tyre Strategy

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Lewis Hamilton has expressed his relief after claiming his second consecutive victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, admitting he had reservations about the one-stop tyre strategy adopted by Mercedes.

After being beaten to Turn 1 by Sebastian Vettel, the three-time world champion trailed the Ferrari driver in the early stages before the German pitted at the end of Lap 11.

While Vettel used a two-stop strategy, Hamilton remained on a one-stopper, making his solitary visit to the pits for soft-compound tyres on Lap 24.

With the Ferrari driver on fresher rubber, Vettel was expected to catch Hamilton toward the end of the race, but two mistakes at the final chicane gifted the Mercedes driver the space he needed to secure a second straight win.

Per Motorsport.com's Pablo Elizalde, Hamilton—who now sits just nine points behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings—has revealed he was unsure whether he could pull off a 46-lap stint on the soft rubber, stating:

"

I wasn't sure how far the ultrasoft would go, I saw graining when I was behind Seb so I was a bit nervous about it.

It seemed to last. I could have kept going on the ultrasofts. We swapped, it was a long stint. The information said that the tyre would last a long time and it was a beauty.

I didn't push too much on it at the beginning but I was very conscious that this guy was pushing. I was enjoying the battle with him—he was so quick, they gave us a run for the money and I happened to be on a one stop. 

It's overwhelming to think how difficult the season was before the last two races. I am grateful and feel blessed. Today I felt was one of the best races for a while.

We will just take it one race at a time, continue to improve this car. There is a long way to go, we will keep our heads down.

"

According to Autosport's Ian Parkes, Hamilton suggested the performance of Mercedes' clutch is "definitely catching [them] out" after failing to convert pole position into a first-corner lead for the fourth time in 2016, stressing his poor getaway was not a result of driver error.

Hamilton dedicated his 45th career victory to the late Muhammad Ali, telling Sky Sports' James Galloway how he spent the closing laps of the race "thinking about him and some of his fights."

"That guy was an inspiration and will be forever to so many people for what he did, how we was and how he fought," he added.

Nico Rosberg Upset with Lewis Hamilton's 'Really Hard' Defence in Canadian GP

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Nico Rosberg has admitted he was angered by Lewis Hamilton's aggressive defensive manoeuvre at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix, which contributed to the German's fifth-place finish.

After the Mercedes drivers locked out the front row in qualifying, Hamilton and Rosberg were jumped off the line by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who established an early lead at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Rosberg attempted to pass his team-mate for second place around the outside of Turn 1, but Hamilton made slight contact with the German and pushed him wide, forcing Rosberg to take to the run-off area and drop to ninth.

While Hamilton went on to win the race, Rosberg—who successfully passed his team-mate around the outside of the first corner in May's Spanish GP—could only recover to fifth after suffering a slow puncture and later spinning at the final chicane while battling Red Bull's Max Verstappen on the penultimate lap.

Rosberg has revealed he was unhappy with Hamilton's conduct at the start but has come to accept it was a racing incident.

He told Sky Sports' Pete Gill:

"

Sebastian had a great start, I had a decent one and Lewis had a really bad one. In Barcelona, I went round the outside of Lewis and it worked out really well, I went for the same one again today and he did a really hard racing manoeuvre.

We touched and I was off and that's it. It didn't work out, I was very p----d off in that moment but that's racing in the end and it's my job to make sure I'm in front after a battle like that next time.

It was an uphill battle trying to fight back. We also nearly run out of fuel which is why I couldn't attack Max, though he did a very good job at the end.

Then I had to drop back, try again, drop back, try again. In the end it went completely pear-shaped. A frustrating race, of course.

"

Hamilton told the team's official website the Turn 1 incident was "an unfortunate tap" after he suffered "massive understeer."

Per the same source, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added: 

"

[Rosberg's] day was defined by Turn 1 and the fight-back from there. Lewis reported on the radio that he had understeer and cold front tyres going into the corner—and there was some risk for Nico to be running on the outside line. It was a hard move and clearly you don't want or expect to come out of Turn 2 with cars in second and ninth positions when you start from the front row; but to be honest, these discussions after each race give me a feeling a little bit of deja vu.

"

Having held a 43-point advantage over Hamilton just two races ago, Rosberg's championship lead has been narrowed to nine ahead of this weekend's European Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo Urges Red Bull to 'Clean Some Things Up' After Poor Canadian GP

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Daniel Ricciardo has called for Red Bull "to clean some things up" in racing conditions after finishing a distant seventh in the Canadian Grand Prix.

After the team's questionable strategy decisions and operational errors cost him potential victories in Spain and Monaco, Ricciardo endured another frustrating afternoon at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Having qualified fourth on the grid, the Australian lost a position to team-mate Max Verstappen at the start as he tried to avoid Nico Rosberg, who was in the process of rejoining the track following his first-corner collision with Lewis Hamilton.

After locking up and damaging his soft-compound tyres, Ricciardo was forced to switch to a two-stop strategy, with Red Bull's slow tyre changes adding insult to injury.

Ricciardo was unable to pass Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen for sixth place in the latter stages, with the 26-year-old again voicing his frustration after the race.

Per Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, he said:

"

Not a great Sunday. Unfortunately we've had good Saturdays not great Sundays, just couldn't really get a good break, I'd say.

The start off the line wasn't too bad, and then the Mercedes in front and Rosberg coming back, I guess I was on the inside and couldn't really get momentum out of Turn Two. I lost a place to Max.

I had pretty good speed I would say in the first stint on the ultrasoft, we were using the tyres quite well.

I said on the radio I think we'd be quicker in clean air. Just always when we were behind someone we couldn't use the tyres any more, and even with the long DRS we couldn't get close enough to pass.

Basically we were behind a car most of the race, and using the tyres unfortunately not in the best way, always in dirty air, so we couldn't really make an impression.

A few scrappy parts from my side and I would say the team side today. It was not a clean race from both of us.

I locked a brake into Turn 13 and damaged the second set of tyres I had, and then a few of the pitstops and calls were a bit average again.

We've got to clean some things up on Sunday.

"

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told the team's official website how the "cool conditions" on race day was a "key factor" in the team's relatively lacklustre display.

However, he insisted Red Bull produced "a respectable performance" at a circuit that was unlikely to play to the strengths of the RB12 car.

Kimi Raikkonen Admits Recent Form Is Not 'Ideal' After Limp Canadian GP Display

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Kimi Raikkonen has admitted his recent form has not been good enough after finishing sixth in the Canadian Grand Prix.

After claiming three podium finishes in the opening five races, the 2007 world champion was second to Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings following May's Spanish GP but has slipped to fifth after adding just eight points over the last two events.

A limp Monaco GP weekend ended when Raikkonen crashed at the Loews hairpin and dragged his front wing through the tunnel, with the Finn qualifying almost 0.6 seconds behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel in Canada.

While Vettel challenged Lewis Hamilton for victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Raikkonen finished almost a minute behind the German having withstood pressure from Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

Per Autosport's Lawrence Barretto, Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene explained Raikkonen's poor performance was a result of his large emphasis on fuel saving, which led to his tyres losing temperature in cool conditions.

And Raikkonen has acknowledged his performances have been underwhelming in recent weeks, telling the same source:

"

This race and the last race wasn't ideal.

Hopefully we will get things running more smoothly the next race and get back where we should be.

It wasn't the ideal weekend but we still take the points that we got even though it's not what we want.

I'm sure I could have done better certain things but we've done what we could.

"

Raikkonen's loss of form is likely to lead to further questions surrounding his future in F1, with the 36-year-old's current contract set to expire at the end of 2016.

Despite his strong friendship with Raikkonen—whom he described as "very easy to work with"—Vettel admitted he wouldn't "mind" being reunited with Ricciardo in 2017 over the Canadian GP weekend, per Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy.

Meanwhile, four-time world champion Alain Prost suggested Ferrari should sign Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr. to replace Raikkonen for next season, per French publication Minute-Auto (h/t GrandPrix.com).

Renault Hoping to Re-Sign Ferrari Technical Boss James Allison

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Renault are attempting to re-sign James Allison from Ferrari as part of an aggressive recruitment process, it has emerged.

Allison began his F1 career at the Enstone-based team, then under the name of Benetton, in 1990 and had two further spells with the outfit—winning two consecutive world championships with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and '06—before leaving to join Ferrari in mid-2013.

The Brit played an instrumental role in the Prancing Horse's recovery from their first winless season in two decades in 2014 to emerge as the closest challengers to Mercedes last season, when Sebastian Vettel secured 13 podium finishes, including victories in Malaysia, Hungary and Singapore.

As reported by Autosport's Ian Parkes, "recent speculation" has linked Allison with replacing Maurizio Arrivabene as Ferrari team principal, but he could be lured back to Renault, who are hoping to challenge for grand prix victories and world championships as soon as 2018.

Parkes noted "sources have confirmed" the 48-year-old is just one of a number of paddock figures to be approached by Renault, who have scored just six points in seven races since purchasing Lotus at the end of last season.

It is "unclear" whether Allison "would replace or work alongside" current chief technical officer Bob Bell, who returned to the team in February, with racing director Frederic Vasseur also thought to be under threat after "one source" suggested the former ART Grand Prix boss "has failed to jell with the team."

Parkes added "personal circumstances" may play a role in Allison's future after the death of his wife, Rebecca, earlier this year.

"Prior to that, Allison split his time between Britain and Italy to be with his wife and three children" and a return to Renault may "allow him to spend more time with his children," Parkes wrote.

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