McLaren MP4-23 - Kovalainen wheel rim failure
McLaren suspect Kovalainen's huge accident in the Spanish Grand Prix was the result of a failure of the forged magnesium wheel rim. The exact cause of that failure is as yet unknown - a stone or some other debris getting into the wheel is the primary suspect, while other possibilities include an unusually heavy impact with a kerb or even a manufacturing fault. What is known is that the failure caused the tyre to suddenly deflate and almost certainly destroyed the steering linkage (inset), making it impossible for Kovalainen to steer the car, with the left wheel completely out of control.
Toyota TF108 - nose winglets
As part of their aero update for Barcelona, Toyota included two wider-than-normal winglets on either side of the TF108's nosecone (yellow arrow and inset). In principle, these are similar to the 'elephant ear' nose wings adopted by Honda. Rather than increasing the overall amount of downforce load, they direct the airflow towards the sidepod inlets and the car's rear end more effectively. It is a solution that works particularly well on tracks like the Circuit de Catalunya, with long straights and fast corners but, while front-end stability was markedly improved, both Toyota drivers decided to revert to the standard solution for the race itself.
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