Australian GP: Magnussen takes blame for practice shunt

The Dane lost control of his Honda-powered car under braking for Turn 6, and slid through the gravel trap before swiping the tyre barrier.

Speaking about the accident, the Dane confessed that he had simply been pushing too hard.

"There was nothing on the track," he said. "I tried to push the braking and lost the rear on the entry. It snapped in a difficult time and that's when I pointed the car towards the wall and couldn't hold it. It was just a driver mistake."

Both Magnussen and team-mate Jenson Button struggled for speed on the opening day of running, with McLaren braced for a tough time at the first race of the season.

The three-second deficit to Mercedes has left McLaren facing the prospect of being at the back of the grid, but Magnussen was not resigned to that yet.

"I think we do have a chance of getting into Q2 if everything goes right," he said. "But we don't know how much the other guys will pick up either.

"I think maybe Sauber is within reach and maybe Sauber and Force India are quite similar, looking at Jenson's times at least."

Button was not so convinced about the speed potential of the car - and suggested that Manor's presence could be the only thing to save McLaren's blushes from being last.

"I am hoping it won't be the last row of the grid - hopefully 20 cars will run," he said. "It will not be easy and we all know that, we are all working as one and we are not pointing any fingers - just solving the problems as we go.

"Hopefully we will be competitive sooner rather than later. A lot of hard work is needed and we knew that coming into this weekend."