McLaren unveil unusual 'mermaid' upgrade for Canadian GP

McLaren has introduced a "mermaid tails" update to its front wing endplate for the Canadian Grand Prix.

The development comes on a weekend where neither Red Bull nor Ferrari has delivered any upgrades at all.

Aimed at improving aerodynamic performance through better flow conditioning, the revised front wing geometry is joined by a small modification to the MCL39's front suspension.

Additionally, the Woking-based squad has ported a updated version of its medium downforce rear wing to the car, which is specific to the requirements of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The only other leading team to bring upgrades to Montreal is Mercedes. The eight-time constructors' champions have brought two updates for the W16 - a track-specific front corner for the high braking requirements of the circuit and a new floor edge, through a reduced chord wing element.

This has "reduced flap chord and tweaked vanes, increases mass flow under forward floor and vorticity shed from the fence system, increasing floor load."

The midfield battle

Like Mercedes, Aston Martin has introduced new front wing ducts with a larger exit to the AMR25 for the increased braking requirements at the Canadian track.

Alpine, meanwhile, has re-profiled and shortened the flaps on the front wings of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto's cars, to better suit the aerodynamic requirements of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Haas, Williams and Stake have no submitted any upgrades to the FIA for its disclosure document, but Racing Bulls has one track-specific and one performance upgrade to declare.

Similarly to Alpine, its front wing flaps will feature a shorter chord length to improve aerodynamic balance at lower levels of downforce.

Its performance update is a revised shape to the lower winglet endplate on the rear corner of the VCARB 02. This should help to increase rear downforce on the car by better managing airflow around the tyres and diffuser.