Jacques Villeneuve says the way Formula 1 cars have developed over the past 16 years is "amazing".
The 1997 world champion, whose last grand prix was with BMW in 2006, was given the chance to drive a 2021 Alpine recently at Monza.
According to Le Journal de Montreal, he was ultimately less than a second slower than the reference time set by Esteban Ocon on the same day.
"It’s amazing how the cars have evolved," Villeneuve, 51, said. "The brakes are spectacular, especially as it’s no longer necessary to press the pedal down fully.
"These cars stick to the track in an impressive way. You can approach the corners at very high speed with a lot of confidence. It was quite a mind-blowing experience.
"The car felt so stable and, all in all, quite easy to drive. There’s a lot of grip."
The French Canadian said the most difficult part of the experience was adjusting to just how quickly the world races past at modern F1 speeds.
"The brain has a hard time understanding the speed," said Villeneuve. "You feel like you’re watching a movie in fast forward.