Alexander Albon is anxious modifications to Monza for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix have spoiled the character of the championship’s oldest venue.
The 5.7-kilometre monitor has been resurfaced forward of this yr’s race. The kerbs in a number of of its chicanes have been altered and gravel traps added on the Rettifilo and Roggia chicanes.
Albon wasn’t impressed with what he noticed of the alterations when he examined the monitor on Thursday.
“I really feel prefer it’s perhaps misplaced a little bit of its character,” stated the Williams driver. “I really feel like a few of the kerbs they’ve put in are a bit of bit extra generic.
“Monza had fairly a selected fashion of monitor. It was fairly bumpy, however that’s not a nasty factor, and the kerbs have been fairly distinctive.
“Let’s see the way it goes. I believe there’s going to be a number of exploring in FP1 and FP2, with these kerbs, if you should utilize them or not, and the way a lot you should utilize them, will likely be an enormous query mark.”
Nonetheless Lewis Hamilton stated drivers gained’t know if the modifications have been a hit till after apply tomorrow. “I don’t wish to choose it earlier than I’ve pushed it,” he stated.
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“Possibly we’ll get in and it’ll be the best factor and biggest modifications ever. So I don’t wish to shoot myself within the foot with that.
“Finally, we beloved it earlier than. For years, it’s been super-bumpy in so many locations and that’s been an enormous a part of the character of what this monitor is. The kerbs as properly have been just about the identical for undoubtedly over 20 years, I’d think about.
“So it’s a large, large change. However finally, it’s nonetheless the identical monitor. However we gained’t know till tomorrow. It’s going to be loads smoother, it seems to be, and doubtless fairly a bit faster.”
Charles Leclerc agreed the monitor’s floor wanted to be refreshed. “It’s tough to guage for now,” he stated. “The Tarmac, finally, you get at one level the place you’ve acquired to resume the Tarmac.
“It’s not like there’s the selection of simply protecting the identical Tarmac for years and years and years as a result of at one level, you simply get too bumpy. And particularly with our Method 1 automobiles and the way in which they’re run so low, the tracks should renew that. So on that, I’m superb.
“On the kerbs, it’s true that some tracks have the historic kerbs. And even when they renew it, I believe in Canada it was accomplished this yr the place they hold precisely the identical form, which is sweet. However I haven’t tried but the brand new kerbs, perhaps they really feel even higher in comparison with the outdated ones.”
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2024 Italian Grand Prix
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