Montreal is a circuit with heavy braking zones and sharp deceleration over the lap, so teams have also put a specific focus on improving their front brake cooling.

McLaren focus on performance

McLaren have brought upgrades to three areas of their MCL39 to Canada with a focus on performance at the front and circuit specific demands at the rear.

They have a new front wing with revised geometry aimed at improving their aerodynamic performance over “a wide range of attitudes”, as the team say in their submission to the FIA. This has been done through a redesign of the main elements and the introduction of ‘mermaid tails’ to the front wing endplate.

The front suspension geometry has also received a “small modification”. This has been coupled with an updated aerodynamic surface to accommodate the geometry alteration and reoptimise the local flow conditioning in light of this.

At the rear, a new medium downforce rear wing has been introduced which the team say is an “updated version”, presumably of their existing medium downforce assembly. The aim is to enable more efficient coverage of a larger drag range which will suit multiple circuits.

Mercedes only other top 4 team with new parts

Mercedes join McLaren this week as the only top four teams with new parts. They have introduced a new larger front brake duct inlet and exit area to meet the ‘high brake duty’ of the Montreal circuit.

In search of performance at the floor edge they have reduced flap chord and tweaked vanes to increase the mass flow under the forward floor and the vorticity shed from the fence system, increasing the floor load.

Aston Martin follow suit with brake duct changes

Aston Martin, similarly to Mercedes, have brought a new front brake duct to Canada with a larger exit to meet the circuit’s heavy braking demands.

The team say this will increase the massflow through the front corner, thus increasing the cooling.

New front wing for Alpine

Alpine have arrived in Montreal with a new front wing. It features a reprofiled and shorter flap to generate less load and better meet the circuit’s aero-balance range.

Racing Bulls opt for new front wing too

Racing Bulls have brought a new front wing for this weekend with a shorter chord length to the rearward most element of the front flap – similarly to Alpine.

This has been done with the aim of balancing out the lower rear wing levels they are presumably planning on running this weekend, reducing their front downforce accordingly. They say that this new front wing will enable the aerodynamic balance range to be lowered beyond what was possible under the minimum range of the previous flap by reducing the load generated by the front wing at a given flap angle.

The VCARB-02 will also have a performance-based upgrade as the team have revised the shape of the lower winglet endplate at the rear corner. It is aimed at improving the quality and consistency of the shed vortex from the brake drum winglet, which helps with management of the airflow around the tyre and diffuser. This update should increase rear downforce, according to the team.