Berra: The main load should be borne by the Medium tires.

      Pirelli's tyre team summed up the first day of running on the track in Mexico, noting that its surface on Friday did not provide adequate grip, but, as always, over the next two days of the weekend its condition will improve as the asphalt becomes cleaner and a layer of rubber is laid down.

      Simone Berra, Pirelli's chief engineer: "Grip at the Mexico track is close to the lowest level of the season. The data from today's sessions largely confirmed what was collected in preparation for this weekend.

      The track is rarely used during the year, so the asphalt surface is very dusty, and we expect that on Saturday and Sunday the condition of the surface will improve significantly – this will also be helped by the support races and the fact that no rain is forecast.

      The Hard compound was used heavily in the first practice, and on it the initial condition of the surface had the greatest effect, although it still performed fairly effectively.

      The performance of the two softer compounds, whose superiority over the Hard showed itself early in the day, was also positively affected by the fact that during the second session the track temperature dropped to 35°C.

      But even during the second session some drivers complained on the radio about a lack of grip, which was mainly explained by the state of the asphalt. This is also visible in the lap times: although they improved by roughly a second in the second session, they remain a long way off Carlos Sainz's pole time from last year.

      The higher resistance to mechanical wear of this year's tyres is also confirmed by the absence of graining, although this characteristic used to appear consistently at the Mexican track. Controlling degradation is already fairly straightforward, and by race day the situation should only improve.

      As for Grand Prix strategy, a one-stop plan currently seems most preferable, in which the main stint should be on the Medium tyres combined with one of the other two remaining compounds.

      The choice between Hard and Soft will mainly depend on how much the drivers can stretch the first stint on the yellow‑marked tyres, as well as on the track temperature and, of course, how the track surface improves."