I know, was looking at the photo earlier and realised how odd it appears. Will need to either adjust the catch down or raise the sides again (unless it's just the photo but don't think so).
The gap "seems" to be intentional but I honestly have no idea why they done it, serves no meaningful purpose
Pedestrian protection. The front pushes back upon impact. Normally at that point triggers something which on my car causes the rear of the bonnet to lift providing a smoother front surface to allow pedestrians to roll over the car.