Will Tyres hold up or New Tarmac melt at F1s Monza GP?

[John S]

New asphalt put down at Autodromo Nazionale Monza could have a major effect on this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, according to tyre providers Pirelli in their pre-race analysis.

The circuit is undertaking a process of extensive renovation and modernisation. First phase of this work has been complete resurfacing of the entire track which will mean drivers face an unknown outlook when they head out for the first time on Friday morning for FP1.

The work involved a crew of 240 and 92 vehicles and was completed in early August. In the time since then, a team of Pirelli engineers undertook an inspection of the new surface and shared the data with the FIA and teams.

"As is usually the case with newly laid asphalt, the surface is smoother than its predecessor and darker in colour," Pirelli pronounced. The darker surface also will pick up more heat from the sun and could reach highs of over 50C.

However since Pirelli's press release forecasts for the weekend suggest temperatures will rise to between 32°C and 34°C as sunshine is forecast all through the three days.

With the hot sun beaming onto the asphalt, could it see track temperature rise as high as 60°C or above? Will this cause extra issues for the Pirelli F1 tyres, & maybe even softening/melting of the tarmac. 

[lkjohnson1950]

At Road America resurfacing made it a one lane groove for several races. If you got even a little off line there was zero grip. I've seen other tracks where big potholes formed in some of the corners as the new asphalt failed to stick. Could be a total disaster.