McLaren Reverts to Old Front Wing After New Upgrade Fails to Deliver Confidence in Montreal

McLaren introduced the second phase of its major Miami upgrade package in Montreal, including a new front wing, engine cover, revised rear suspension fairings, and floor edge changes. But the headline item—the front wing—failed to deliver the expected confidence. Lando Norris ran it in FP1, then both drivers reverted to the old specification for sprint qualifying, citing discomfort.

Why it matters:

McLaren has been closing the gap to the front since Miami, but this setback highlights the delicate balance between performance and driver confidence. A front wing that doesn't instill trust on kerb-heavy tracks like Circuit Gilles Villeneuve can undermine an otherwise strong upgrade package. The team must resolve this before Barcelona, a more representative circuit, to keep momentum.

The details:

• Components brought: New front wing, engine cover, rear suspension fairings, and floor edges. Only the front wing was shelved.
• Driver feedback: Norris said after sprint qualifying: “We were worried about being off the pace, and I didn't have much confidence in the car. We returned to the previous spec front wing going into Sprint Quali, which gave me more confidence.” Piastri echoed: “It was a big package, and we have some more work to do on the front wing – we ended up running with the older one as we felt more comfortable.”
• Technical director's view: Neil Houldey confirmed that the rest of the package is delivering gains: “The new parts we've brought here seem to have helped close the gap a little bit more again. We found during FP1 that the front wing wasn't quite delivering what we expected, so we reverted to the previous specification, which gave the drivers more confidence and allowed them to unlock more performance.”
• Circuit factor: Attacking kerbs is critical at Gilles Villeneuve, and the new wing may have altered the balance in a way that hurt driver trust. Barcelona's more conventional layout will offer a clearer test.

What's next:

McLaren will investigate why the front wing didn't perform as expected. The team emphasizes that the rest of the upgrade is working, and the front wing issue may be circuit-specific. Barcelona in two weeks will provide a more representative track to fully validate the new design.