Why "very different" dark Monza surface could be bad news for Mercedes F1’s newly surfaced Monza track looks set to shake things up at this weekend’s Italian GP 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.
