Kevin Magnussen's Chinese GP practice drama was suspension failure

Magnussen appeared to suffer a destructive left-rear puncture before setting a time in Friday's first session, shortly after Felipe Massa's own two issues with tyres on the same corner of his Williams.

It prompted a lengthy red-flag period to clear debris and complete a thorough track inspection.

However, just as Massa's punctures were caused by a set-up issue, Magnussen said his was the result of a rear suspension failure.

"[It was] a suspension failure," he said of the cause of the puncture.

"And then the tyre punctured after. [The car] sits down and then the tyre touches the floor and then it rips.

"I was doing 300[km/h], 310, and I felt the car go. And then boom, starting to dance around. So no real warning.

"It was fairly easy to control, a straight line, not in a corner, so I just lifted off and stopped the car."

Renault kept Magnussen in his garage during the second session as it investigated the cause of the issue, which the Dane reported had been identified and was being fixed.

He admits he will be "catching up" for the rest of the weekend, especially if forecast rain does hit Shanghai on Saturday.

"I guess if it's wet, it is a blow," Magnussen said.

"Because then we need to set the car up for the race, which looks like it's going to be dry, and then I'm going to have no idea what I'm going into the race with, which is going to be a little bit tough.

"That's what we have, going to try our best."