The small bowtie-shaped device was located under the rear crash structure, in an area that has not previously been exploited by teams, and was designed to work in conjunction with the latest floor updates.
Positioned exactly where the rear of the car is lifted in the pits meant Aston had to redesign the jack in order to ensure that the new part couldn’t be damaged.
However during practice last Friday it showed signs of cracking, and was taken off the car for the rest of the weekend.
“It was just an experiment really to see from an aero side whether it was producing the suction that it should have been producing in that area,” said Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough.
“Unfortunately, it wasn't quite reliable enough out on track. So we decided just as a precautionary thing to remove it for the moment.
“But it's still something we're looking into. I don't think it's been done by teams up and down the pitlane that I've seen.”
Source: Autosport