The Mexican Grand Prix is just around the corner! Unlike the recent sprint weekend in Austin, a ‘regular’ race schedule will be followed in Mexico City. Or so it seems. The second free practice, which is usually scheduled for Friday afternoon, will last half an hour longer than usual. This is all due to Pirelli, who wants to test the tires for the 2025 season in advance.
At the request of Pirelli, the second free practice for the Mexican Grand Prix will be extended by half an hour. The tire supplier wants to test the compounds for the upcoming season. Two years ago, Pirelli conducted a similar test in Austin, during the United States Grand Prix. Then too, the second free practice lasted ninety minutes instead of sixty.
Extra Tyres
According to Pirelli, the new tyres will be put to the test. This is not only useful for further development, but also to gather feedback from drivers and teams. After all, they know better than anyone how the new compound behaves on the circuit. All drivers will follow a specific program, set up by Pirelli’s technicians. By extending the training session by half an hour, the drivers do not lose valuable time to prepare for the sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
Each driver will receive, in addition to the usual sets, two extra sets of tyres on Friday: one from the existing series as a reference point and one prototype for the 2025 tyres. The test tyres can be recognized by the absence of the usual markings on the sidewall. The second free practice will take place at 00:00 UTC on Friday.
