Canards

Also known as dive planes or dive plates, since they resemble the winged appendages on submarines, canards help generate downforce in two different ways. First, the canard redirects the oncoming air's momentum upwards, which causes a downward force on the canard. This is only moderate, since the velocity near the skin is significantly slower than in the free stream. In addition, canards generate strong vortices that travel down the sides of the car and act as a barrier. If the canards are positioned correctly, these strong vortices act to keep high-pressure air around the car from entering the low-pressure underbody region, thus maintaining more downforce. If air was allowed to enter the underside, the pressure would inevitably rise, reducing downforce. Therefore, these strong vortices act like a virtual curtain or dam, restricting higher-pressure air around the car's sides from entering the underbody region. As a result, the low pressure under the car is maintained and downforce is maximized. Unfortunately, canards are not very efficient, since the strong vortices create a significant amount of drag. They are more useful for fine-tuning aerodynamic balance.