Formula 1 exclusive tyre supplier Pirelli announced that Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen's blow-out issues during FP1 for the Chinese Grand Prix were not tyre related.
Williams driver Massa endured two left-rear punctures, in the opening session of the weekend in Shanghai, which is being attributed to bodywork contact or rim failure, while Renault driver Magnussen is said to have suffered an suspension collapse.
Nevertheless Pirelli posted on Twitter: "We confirm: Williams and Renault failures NOT tyre related."
They added an hour later, "A full investigation has concluded that none of the deflations for Williams and Renault in [FP1] were tyre related. Separate technical issue."
Although it was feared the three failures could be tyre related, given that they occurred on the left hand side of both cars, Pirelli indicate that their preliminary investigations prove otherwise.
Afterwards Massa suggested that his mishap may have been caused by bodywork rubbing on the tyre. Indeed smoke was seen coming from the rear left of the car on television replays.
Magnussen will sit out FP2 as the problem was not identified in between sessions, as Renault reported, "We're still investigating what happened on Kevin's car during FP1, and that means he won't be running in this session [FP2]...)
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