Williams and Aston lead upgrade chase in Montreal

Williams and Aston Martin are at the forefront of F1's upgrade cycle in Montreal this weekend, with both teams introducing significant changes to their respective packages.

The magnitude of the two outfits' updates in Canada isn't surprising given the additional CFD and wind-tunnel time enjoyed by Williams and Aston as determined by their classifications in last year's Constructors' standings.

Williams has implemented no less than seven component changes on its FW45, starting with a new floor body that features a revised geometry that aims to increase the local load as well as improve the downstream flow into the diffuser.

A revised engine cover and sidepod inlets work in conjunction to improve the flow towards the rear of the car which, together with the revisions to the floor, leads to an increase in load.

Williams has also tweaked its Halo fairing as well as the rear suspension and rear corner as a result of the improved onset flow from the parts described above.

Finally, changes to the rear brake duct winglets required a modification to the rear wing endplate to ensure that the performance improvement is consistent across the operating envelope of the car.

Aston has only made three changes to its AMR23, but they are important as the car now features a new engine cover and floor body, while the revised cooling louvres are circuit specific.

The new shape of Aston's bodywork is "a small evolution of the current philosophy aimed at improving the interaction with the rest of the car", according to Aston.

Furthermore, the local load on the floor is improved by redistributing the flow between the floor fences to achieve better performance within the operating envelope.

Haas is the third team to implement important changes to its contender, with the US outfit's VF-23 featuring a new rear wing conceived to optimize the car's performance in Montreal, circuit specific modified cooling louvres to improve the cooling range available and a revised floor edge designed to improve the aero efficiency of the entire car.

Red Bull rolled out its dominant RB19 with but a single change, with the car featuring a subtly reprofiled front wing in a bid to extract more load locally.

• Read also: F1 not ready for blanket-free tyres says 'very concerned' Russell

Mercedes' W14 sported a revised sidepod inlet where the outer tip winglet was removed to improve flow to the rear of the car while reducing drag.

While Ferrari has opted not to bring any new parts to Montreal, Alpine's A523 featured a revised rear wing, modified rear suspension and changes to the car's front brake drums to improve cooling.

Over at McLaren, ahead of an important upcoming upgrade cycle, the team's MCL60 is running in Canada with a new rear wing and beam wing assembly that aim to produce efficient load gains.

Alfa Romeo has also made a circuit specific change to its C43, with the car's rear brake duct seeing an increase in the magnitude of its cooling outlet to answer the high demands of Montreal on the braking system.

Finally, AlphaTauri has opted to mount a circuit specific front wing that features a revised front flap that generates less front wing load to give the car a better balance range.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter