Several Formula 1 drivers have voiced their discontent with the new upgrades at the Monza circuit.
Monza, known for its rich history, has undergone significant changes since last year, including a full resurfacing and modifications to some corners, such as widening and altering camber.
Additionally, the new kerbs at Ascari have been designed to resemble those of a modern F1 track.
"We've said many times that the drivers are often the last to know where changes are happening on a track," commented George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, on Thursday.
"Personally, I think it is a bit of a shame because Ascari was an example of a corner that had its own character, with really unique kerbs. I've always said that these old-school tracks need to be preserved."
After inspecting the track on Thursday, Daniel Ricciardo shared his thoughts with the media: "I can't say I'm impressed, because I think some details have taken away the character of the track. It was a bit of an old-fashioned track, but that's over now.
"The asphalt looks great, but I'm disappointed about the kerbs. I think they underestimate how important the kerbs are on a track and how they change the feeling, the character, the attitude."
Kevin Magnussen from Haas added his sentiment: "I just hope it still feels like Monza."
Fernando Alonso revealed that Aston Martin had even abandoned their initial plan to let reserve driver Felipe Drugovich take part in the first free practice on Friday.
"We realised that the amount of changes was greater than we thought at first," the Spaniard explained.
Initially, there were speculations that the new surface could have caused Bernd Maylander's unusual high-speed crash at Parabolica while he was testing the F1 safety car on Thursday.
However, it seems the incident was due to a rare brake failure.
"It was quite a bang," the German recounted after his crash, "but I'm not hurt at all. It was my first experience with Tecpro. When I was still a racing driver, TecPro didn't even exist."
