Lewis Hamilton responds to rule change suggestions

Four-time world champion Alain Prost says he does not understand the complaints about Mercedes' domination after Australia as he says it is "part of the game".

Mercedes completed a one-two in Australia and finished 35 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, leading to fears the team could dominate the season as it did in 2014. The result prompted Red Bull boss Christian Horner to call on the FIA to rein in Mercedes' advantage.

But Prost is surprised by the negative reaction and says the cycle of teams rising to and falling from the top is part of Formula One's DNA.

"Somehow it feels like people no longer accept it when one team dominates, when someone does a good job," Prost told F1i. "But that is not Formula One. Formula One is about competing. Mercedes has been preparing for three or four years to reach the top. Unfortunately, this might take two or three years before someone reels them in, but it's part of the game."

Prost also says smaller teams falling on hard times is nothing new but thinks the problem is magnified in the current climate.

"Then, what is happening at the back of the field with the smaller teams, their issues, this has always existed. Now, these problems have been made even more acute because we are in times of economic crisis and it has become harder to find sponsors."