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McLaren took the prize for the most unusual looking new development in testing on Thursday, as the team tried out an extended front rim shield design at Jerez in Spain.

Several teams ran front shields last season, their primary purpose being to direct the hot airflow generated under braking away from the wheels and underneath the car. However, the function of McLaren’s latest design looks to be somewhat more complex.

Rather than being contained entirely within the circumference of the wheel rim, the MP4-23’s latest shields feature a section that extends forwards to form a kind of fairing that sits parallel to the tyre sidewall.