Pirelli: 'That's likely to be the key to success for the Mexican GP'

Looking ahead to the Mexican Grand Prix, Pirelli is reviewing tyre conditions at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The tyre supplier expects a "completely different challenge" compared to the two previous races in the United States and Japan.

Different challenge for Pirelli tyres in Mexican GP

"Mexico is a completely different challenge to the two races that came before it," said Pirelli boss Mario Isola in a press release. "If you look back at the last two races, Suzuka was all about lateral forces and Austin was well-balanced aerodynamically, but Mexico this weekend focuses on traction and braking."

Isola stressed that the Mexico City circuit offers little grip and the energy requirements of the tyres are fairly low. This is because the cars generate little downforce in the thin air at high altitude, especially in slow corners. The Pirelli boss also thinks the track's dusty surface could play a key role in teams' tyre management.

"Due to the nature of the venue the circuit tends to feature a dusty surface with plenty of track evolution. Understanding this and getting the tyre warm-up exactly right is likely to be the key to success," Isola said. In terms of tyre compounds, Pirelli is making the same choice as the previous week at the Circuit of the Americas: Formula 1 teams will have access to the C2, C3 and C4 tyres.