The Italian company has already decided that its other tyres will remain unchanged for next year, and the Mexican running is the only opportunity to prove the worth of the revised C4.
Pirelli undertook a similar test with a new C2 on the Friday of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend last month but decided that it didn’t represent any improvement.
The decision to carry over unchanged tyres from one season to the next is an unusual one, and previously only happened between 2020 and 2021, when COVID meant there was no tyre testing.
Typically Pirelli has to keep up with increasing downforce levels, and in essence, make a judgement on where loads will be by the final race of the 2024 season.
However this year the focus of its in-season testing was on running without blankets, a move that has now been postponed to 2025 at the earliest.
Therefore it decided to stick with the current product, and the construction first introduced at Silverstone, which was itself a by-product of the no-blanket testing. However, the option to tweak the C4 compound remains open should Friday’s test be successful.
"In Mexico, we have a C4 with the idea to have a tyre the same performance as the current C4, but a wider working range and a bit better mechanical assistance,” Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola explained.
Source: Autosport