McLaren quickly benched its new front wing for the Canadian Grand Prix sprint qualifying, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reverting to the older specification. Despite rolling out a second major development package in Montreal, the team found the new front wing wasn't delivering the expected performance, making drivers less comfortable.
Technical Director Neil Houldey confirmed the previous spec wing gave drivers more confidence, allowing them to extract better performance – a decision validated by Norris qualifying third and Piastri fourth for the sprint race. While the overall upgrade package is still considered a step forward, removing the new wing means the car isn't running in its fully optimized configuration, as other parts were designed around its airflow. Norris suggested the new wing might reappear at a more conventional circuit like Barcelona, once the team has more time to evaluate its true potential away from Canada's unique track characteristics.
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