How Mercedes and McLaren have locked horns on crucial F1 battleground

Mercedes and McLaren turned heads in Montreal as they arrived with the biggest upgrade packages in F1's raging development war.

At Mercedes, the bargeboards, in particular, were of great importance after being reshaped, with the dual function of separating the airflow directed to the lower part of the sidepods, and the airflow directed underneath the floor.

The modifications were followed by an overall redesign of the 'coke bottle' area in front of the rear wheels, with an increase in the number of slots, generating a lower aerodynamic seal ahead of the rear.

Even more significant was the reshaping of the upper part of the diffuser and the cascade of lateral winglets connected to the rear brake ducts. The load generated by the redesigned floor led to a different distribution, which appears to have provided benefits in Canada, especially in terms of traction.

Over at McLaren, the introduction of its new parts began in Miami with targeted changes to the front wing, the rear section of the bodywork, and the endplates of the rear wing, although it did not introduce the 'Macarena' configuration, which is now very likely scheduled for the Austrian Grand Prix.

The package brought to Montreal by the Woking-based team delivered a mixed response, as the team had to remove some parts for further assessment after a lacklustre performance during FP1.

Due to the Sprint format of the weekend, it was initially less straightforward to find the right setup for the MCL40 to extract maximum aerodynamic performance from the new upgrades.

Since the two teams share the same power unit, despite there still being a difference in modes that appear to be more effective on the W17 than on the MCL40, the direct performance comparison was particularly interesting as it seems McLaren is closing the gap due to the car's dynamic and aerodynamic qualities.

While there is still a performance advantage on Mercedes’ side, it appears to be more closely linked to power unit usage.

W17 new bargeboards

In Montreal, the package introduced by Mercedes included the reshaping of the screens ahead of the sidepods, with the function of improving the management of the airflow directed toward the sidepods and preventing flow separation at specific points, in order to increase localised downforce in that section of the car.

W17 new floor

The floor underwent extensive modification, not only to the diffuser volumes but also to the section of the “coke bottle” ahead of the rear wheels. In particular, a series of slots was introduced to divert turbulence outward, away from the diffuser volume, thereby improving the airflow exiting the rear of the floor.

MCL40 front wing comparison - Miami vs Canada

In a direct comparison, it is clear that the version introduced in Montreal was aimed at increasing efficiency compared to the Miami specification, where localised downforce and outwash management were the main priorities.

In this regard, the reshaping of the final flap near the endplate is particularly noteworthy, with an increase in localised downforce.