Monza was abuzz with activity on Thursday, but not just the usual pre-race preparations, as a rumble of discontent was running through the paddock, with several F1 drivers expressing concerns about modifications made to the iconic track.
While the smooth new asphalt drew little comment, several revamped kerbs around the ‘old school’ circuit sparked negative reactions among drivers.
Upon arriving at the track on Thursday morning, RB’s Daniel Ricciardo took a walk around the new-look Monza. As one of the first to observe the changes firsthand, he did not hold back on his initial impressions.
“They've changed the kerbs. I went around the track this morning. I can't say I'm that impressed because I think some elements have lost some of the character of the circuit,” said the Aussie.
“Obviously, a lot of you have been following F1 even longer than me and maybe it's just as a driver, because we drive it and experience it, so maybe it makes sense to us, I don't know if it makes sense to the outside.”
Ricciardo, who has always appreciated the unique challenges that Monza offers, lamented the loss of what he described as the track's vintage character.
"I think it was kind of old-school and now that's gone,” he added. “We haven't driven it yet but the resurfacing looks great. The asphalt looks really nice, but the kerbs, I’m a bit disappointed in."
One of the track’s most noticeable changes is at Variante Ascari, where the kerbs have been flattened and modified.
"It's very flat now, so ultimately, because we can use so much more kerb probably, it's going to be wider and easier to be flat than through nine and ten," he explained.
While acknowledging the possibility of closer racing due to these modifications, he remained skeptical.
"I don't want to be all negative - maybe that means we can follow closer because it's easier flat and you get a bigger slipstream, but I don't know,” he said.
“I think they still underrate the kerbs and what it does to a circuit, how it changes the feeling, the character, the approach."
"We'll see. Obviously, I am going to enjoy driving here but it feels like it's lost a little bit of that ‘old-schoolness’ that it had."
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton adopted a more reserved stance, opting to withhold judgment until he had a chance to experience the track changes in his Mercedes during Friday's practice sessions.
"I don’t want to judge it before I’ve driven it, maybe we will get in and it will be the greatest thing and the greatest changes ever so I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot with that," he remarked.
Williams' Alex Albon expressed a cautious optimism about exploring the modified layout.
"I’ve seen it, I feel it has maybe lost a bit of its character,” he echoed. “I feel some of the kerbs that have been put in are a little more generic and I think generally, Monza had a specific style of track.
"It was always bumpy but that was not a bad thing and the kerbs were quite unique.
“Let’s see how it goes, I think there is going to be a lot of exploring in FP1 and FP2 with these kerbs, whether you can use them or not and how much you can use them will be a big question mark, but let’s see."
As the reality of the modifications sank in, the private WhatsApp group of Formula 1 drivers lit up with a flurry of exchanges and comments.
GPDA chairman Alex Wurz confirmed the heated discussions, indicating a shared sentiment that Monza's challenge had diminished.
"Yes, we debated the changes today in our chat group," Wurz told Motorsport.com. "And whilst I have not driven the new kerb layout in Monza, the old kerb situation at corners like Ascari was such a rewarding precision work for drivers."
As a track designer and former driver, Wurz passionately defended the old kerbs, emphasizing their role in defining Monza's unique character.
"As track designer I would have not accepted money to change those kerbs. They did not seem dangerous to me and have been an integral part of the track’s character," he said.
"It is hard to explain, but the unique kerb Monza had there meant that just a few millimetres' difference in placing the car meant you had understeer or oversteer, because the small water drainage dip grabbed the front tyre or it did not.
“As a driver you played with that, and man was it cool to nail it. It was suiting the Monza track with its style, nature and unique character."
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