Suspension break for Magnussen

A few moments after the problem on the left rear tire encountered by Felipe Massa (Williams) in EL1 in China, Kevin Magnussen was also the victim of a problem with the left rear axle of his R.S.16. A damage unrelated to the performance of the tire, as quickly confirmed by Pirelli, towards whom all eyes had been turned for a while.

« I encountered a suspension problem, confesses the Dane. The tire gave out, but it was easy enough to control in a straight line by releasing the accelerator. » Unable to go out on track in EL2, the former driver McLaren lost valuable driving time to get used to the Shanghai track again, especially since the weather could disrupt the progress of the weekend.

“Apart from that, I did installation laps and aerodynamic tests in the morning. It is always useful to collect data, but a lot of work awaits me tomorrow morning to learn more about the track and the car. It could also rain while it looks like the race will be held in the dry. So it’s not shaping up to be the trouble-free weekend I was hoping for, but we’ll get there eventually. »

In the Losange clan, we remain confident that the problem encountered by the Dane will be resolved before tomorrow. “We know the reason for the failure and we will have modified elements tomorrow, but it is obviously disappointing that Kevin was not able to get more running. » explains technical director Nick Chester