Prost warns McLaren about driver tension

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have dominated the last three races, the duo battling for pole position and victory as their team have edged ahead of rivals Ferrari following the Italian squad's strong start to the year.

The close fight has led to some tension within the team, with Alonso showing signs of frustrating with a swerve towards the pits halfway through the United States Grand Prix on Sunday after being unable to overtake his teammate for the lead.

Four-time champion Prost, who had a spectacular falling-out with teammate Ayrton Senna in 1988 and 1989 when McLaren dominated the sport, reckons the situation could hurt the team.

"I think now having two equal cars within the same team is a mistake. In the end it will hurt them because it generates too much tension," Prost told El Pais newspaper in an interview on Monday.

Prost also believes Hamilton, leading the championship by ten points after two consecutive wins, is benefiting from the time spent in McLaren's simulator.

"The simulator has reached an amazing perfection, it's even capable of simulating weather conditions, the rain, the wet asphalt, everything," the Frenchman added.

"And Hamilton has worked with the simulator a lot more than Alonso, and his driving style is very smooth, less rough than the Spaniard. I think that's why for McLaren is easier to set up the car for Hamilton's style."

Fifty-two year-old Prost, who retired from the sport in 1993, admitted he is not happy with Formula One's current status, and he believes too much technology is ruining the racing.

"Now it's not the same. Back in my days, the driver was more important than the car; now, it's technology first and then the driver's hands," Prost said.

"The cars are so equally matched because of the limitations and the technological advances that make overtaking so hard.

"The races are decided in the pits. The strategies are decisive in Formula One, the only thing that the teams can't take into account is driving errors."