They took away the banked loop, they added a few chicanes, over the years they have continued to tinker but still the Autodromo Nazionale Monza demands respect.
Looked at on a map, it looks relatively easy, a series of very fasts straights, a couple of big corners and three chicanes to keep a check on speeds.
Yet the Parabolica and the Curva Grande are still corners you take by the seats of your pants, whilst entering the first chicane, Ascari and said Parabolica, having hit speeds in excess of 200 mph demands blind faith in your car, especially the brakes.
It's a heart-breaker, a car-breaker and a ball breaker. They talk of ghosts, and that's because since the circuit was first built in the 1920s all the greats have raced here... and some perished.
The old banked circuit even played host to a couple of races in which USAC went head-to-head with F1, and whilst it was dropped for F1 after 1961 it continued to be used for Sports Car racing until 1969.
When you talk of Monza you talk of passion, history, speed, bravery and, yes tragedy. Over the years many have perished here; drivers, spectators and officials... most recently race marshal Paolo Gislimberti losing his life when hit by debris in a crash at the second chicane at the start of the 2000 Grand Prix.
As we prepare to head off to some of the newer, more grotesque and entirely artificial additions to the calendar, it is only fitting that following the majestic Spa we are at the Temple of Speed.
And talking of Spa, and that followed, as the media focusses on what might happen at the first chicane today, let's not forget that Monza - even at its most dangerous - uses to feature battles of four, five, six cars, all slipstreaming one another, three or four abreast as they exited the Parabolica. No artificial grass verges or white lines then, nor the need for drivers to be warned about silliness.
Despite the fact that we do not want to be drawn into the media frenzy surrounding the possibility of the Mercedes duo taking one another out at the first chicane, or even the second, the fact is that there is a distinct possibility. Though both are under clear orders from the team about such incidents, ignoring the fact that they are ultra-competitive, let's not forget that on the opening lap they will be under intense pressure from the Williams and McLarens.
On paper the race will last around 75 minutes and will feature just one pit-stop apiece, we cannot even rely on the weather god to intervene. However, while the Safety Car hasn't made an appearance for the last two years, it is a regular here having been brought out in four of the previous five years.
Whilst Lewis Hamilton needs to win in order to close the 29 point gap to Nico Rosberg, the German merely has to follow the example of his father in his winning season and keep adding to his tally. Whilst the Mercedes has looked awesome this weekend, its reliability is increasingly suspect, and let's not forget Hamilton's previous issues with brakes.
Newly confirmed for 2015, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas will want to thank Williams and where better, the FW36 looking very strong here. In danger of being entirely eclipsed by his teammate, the Brazilian could do well with a good result here... and the tifosi will always have a soft spot for him.
With Ron Dennis intently studying the driver market, and possibly hoping his protégé Hamilton might upset his Mercedes bosses, Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen also have something to prove today. The McLaren has looked strong all weekend and ahead of a whole slew of circuits that won't suit the MP4-29 this is probably the Woking outfit's 2014 swan song.
It's unsurprising that with the first three rows filled with Mercedes-powered runners, Fernando Alonso is the first driver in a car not sporting a three-[pointed star somewhere on its chassis but rather a black horse. Once again, the Spaniard totally belies the true competitiveness of the F14T.
With its aero advantage totally negated here, Red Bull was always going to struggle, but nonetheless it's strange to see Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo starting from eighth and ninth.
Following a difficult start to the weekend, Sergio Perez did well to qualify tenth, Force India seemingly the least competitive Mercedes-powered car here. That said, the Mexican and his German teammate are a good bet to add a few more points to the teams tally.
The battle behind the leading ten will be ferocious, though Kimi Raikkonen will want to make his way up to join his teammate as soon as possible, the Finn having lost out to traffic and poor strategy in Q2.
With Kvyat demoted to the back of the grid, courtesy of the new power unit rules, Jean-Eric Vergne has the opportunity to impress prospective employers and add to Toro Rosso's points tally at what is its home race.
Sauber looks set for another 'pointless' afternoon, as does the woeful Lotus, whilst Marussia and Caterham look set for a long afternoon.
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