Why “very different” dark Monza surface could be bad news for Mercedes

Formula 1 teams face a step into the unknown this weekend with a newly resurfaced Monza set to throw up some surprises at the Italian Grand Prix.

As part of a major revamp to modernise the famous Autodromo, which has included work on access tunnels and infrastructure, the entire track has been resurfaced.

New asphalt often has a big impact on the characteristics of a venue, and early indications already point to a notable step change that could become a big talking point over the Monza weekend.

One of the key findings from an inspection that Pirelli engineers did in early August on the new surface was there its darker colouring meant it retained more heat than the old surface, something which could have a big impact on tyre temperatures.

In a briefing note sent out by Pirelli, it noted: “As is usually the case with newly-laid asphalt, the surface is smoother than its predecessor and darker in colour.

“This latter factor will have an impact on track temperature, which if the sun is shining could see it get hotter than in the past, even reaching significant highs of over 50°C.

“In theory, the new surface should offer more grip, which will impact tyre performance and their operating temperature range.”

As early weather forecasts point to temperatures in the low 30°C range for the duration of the event, it means the fight that most teams will face over the weekend is in ensuring their rubber does not overheat.

That challenge is something that may not be great news for Mercedes because its W15 car appears to be one of the most susceptible to its tyres overheating in hot conditions and falling out of the perfect operating temperature range.

At hotter races like Spain, Austria and Hungary, where it was harder to keep tyre temperatures under control, Mercedes was more on the backfoot than cooler events like the Canadian and British GPs.

Speaking before the summer, Mercedes trackside operations director Andrew Shovlin pinpointed tyre temperature management as an area that Mercedes needed to be better at.

“I think at tracks like Silverstone, we had a very stable rear end. In Austria and Budapest, we lacked stability,” he said. “That’s all down to the fact that we seem to be putting more temperature in the tyres than the others.

“We know we need to work on that area. We’ve got plans to do that, but that’s not the sort of problem you can fix with a single aero update. It will be the result of quite a few developments to try and get on top of it.”

But while initial indications do not look ideal for Mercedes, most teams admit that there is a degree of uncertainty about the impact of the Monza changes.

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu said: “The biggest challenge for us in Monza will be the changes to the track; the resurfacing, changes to kerbs and cambers of the track. How the car will be able to ride the kerbs in terms of car set-up, I think will be a different requirement this year.”

Even Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who started on pole position last year, said he was not certain who the new surface would help the most.

“It’s been resurfaced, so we will find a very different Monza to the last few years,” he said.