Getting stuck on tire choice

Getting ready to head down to Oklahoma for Midsouth, which I’m super pumped for. Can’t wait to experience Midsouth for the first time.

But, that being said, I’m taking my 2023 Cervelo Aspero which lists max tire width of 45mm. In October of last year I did my first big ride on it with Panaracer Gravelking X1 in 45 and ran nicely, but with midsouth always having the chance of being a bit muddy, I threw on some 40mm X1s.

Is the 40mm a good enough tire for midsouth? Why does gravel keep moving to bigger and bigger tires? I just got the Aspero in August of last year and it already feels outdated as a gravel bike because of the tire clearance.