McLaren think debris caused wheel failure

That is the view of the McLaren team, who have vowed to conduct a full investigation into what caused the problem that resulted in Kovalainen plunging off the track and underneath a tyre barrier.

McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh has said initial examination of the remains of the wheel rim show that debris had damaged the rim - although it could not be confirmed that this was not caused when he ran across the gravel trap.

"It was a wheel failure - but there was some debris maybe inside the rim and we've got to analyse that," said Whitmarsh.

"It was a new wheel and we don't think it was a structural failure - maybe it got a stone inside, but it's not obvious at the moment and we've got to do some analysis.

"There were some score marks, which are typical of that sort of thing, but were they caused by going across the gravel trap? We've got to answer that later."

McLaren are hoping that Kovalainen will be fit enough to race for them in the Turkish Grand Prix, after Whitmarsh labelled his Finnish driver's escape from the accident as fortunate.

"Yes, he was lucky because it was a big accident - but miraculous is too big a word. When you look at the state of the chassis now, it's a frightening thing to look at but, in truth, the barrier did a lot really.

"It was a fairly substantial impact - and it was higher G-force than you get in the ejector seat of a military aircraft, not something you would want or could endure for very long."