The second event of the long Formula 1 trip in the Americas is scheduled for Mexico City. The Mexican Grand Prix precedes the San Paolo Grand Prix in Brazil, which will conclude three consecutive weeks of racing.
Like the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the Mexican Grand Prix will be crucial for understanding the championship’s dynamics in this final part of the season, especially with a world title race still open: while Max Verstappen has gained some points in the drivers’ standings against Lando Norris, a zero could significantly alter the standings. Therefore, despite a fairly consistent advantage, it is essential to remain vigilant, as it is for McLaren in the constructors’ championship, especially if they fail to capitalize on their car’s potential.
During the race at the circuit named after brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez, the C3 will be used as Hard, C4 as Medium, and C5 as Soft, confirming the switch to a softer selection for this event, a decision made last year to expand possible race strategies.
C6 makes its debut in an hour and a half of practice
The first day of on-track action, Friday, October 25, will have an unusual format. The second free practice session will be entirely dedicated to validating the softer compounds of the 2025 range (C4, C5, and C6). The so-called in-competition test includes a ninety-minute session (thirty minutes longer than usual) during which all drivers and teams must follow a specific program defined by Pirelli’s technicians.
In addition to the allocation of dry tires to be used specifically for the Grand Prix (two sets of Hard, three of Medium, and seven of Soft, one less than usual), each driver will have two additional sets of tires: one will be identical to what is available for the weekend (baseline), and the other will be a prototype of the 2025 tire (option), both in terms of construction – already homologated last September – and compound.
These two extra sets will not feature the traditional colored bands. The program will theoretically include a performance run and a long run for each set, with identical lap counts and fuel amounts for teams based on the type of run. The only exception may concern those drivers who, by their team’s choice, could not run in FP1 because replaced by a young driver: they will be allowed to focus their work for Pirelli in sixty minutes and will have an additional Medium set to recover as much useful information as possible for the rest of the weekend.
The data collected will then be analyzed by Pirelli technicians to refine the characteristics of the compounds ahead of the collective test in Abu Dhabi, scheduled two days after the conclusion of the 2024 championship. For teams, therefore, preparation of the cars for qualifying and the race will be concentrated in two hours: FP1 on Friday and FP3 on Saturday.
Attention to graining
The Hermanos Rodriguez track, measuring 4.304 km, has 17 corners and a low-severity asphalt surface. The promoter resurfaced the section of the circuit between turns 12 and 15 in the third sector this year. The very smooth asphalt and limited use of the circuit mean that at the beginning of the weekend, the grip level is relatively low and that track evolution will be significant as cars run.
Mexico City is situated at over two thousand meters above sea level, and the rarefied air influences the performance of the cars, reducing the aerodynamic load generated by the cars. Consequently, the peak speeds achieved are extremely high, despite a wing configuration usually typical of tracks that require maximum downforce (the record for the highest speed was set here in 2016, with the 372.5 km/h reached by Valtteri Bottas’ Williams-Mercedes), but also that the level of graining is usually quite pronounced.
Additionally, on the longest straights – the main one and the one connecting turns 3 and 4 – tire surface temperatures will tend to drop fairly quickly, and drivers will need to pay close attention to braking, particularly at turn 1, to avoid lock-ups that could damage the tires.
In terms of strategy, this is usually a race characterized by a single pit stop. Last year, most drivers started on Mediums, trying to manage them to extend the first stint as long as possible. A neutralization and subsequent red flag, caused by a track exit of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, then led almost everyone to use three sets of tires in a race essentially split in two.
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