Lewis Hamilton’s Canadian Grand Prix hopes were dashed by an unexpected foe – a groundhog. The Formula 1 driver’s race took a wild turn when he collided with the critter early on, causing damage to his Ferrari and a significant loss in aerodynamic support. Starting in fifth place, Hamilton initially showed promise but struggled post-incident, leading to brake issues later in the race.
Despite the setbacks, including a strategic error during pit stops, Hamilton managed to salvage a sixth-place finish. He lamented that the encounter ruined his race and expressed sadness over injuring the animal. “I was slow, lacking a lot of performance, over half a second, so I just had to send it,” Hamilton said. “My qualifying was better, I was holding on until the damage, I was managing to keep [Oscar] Piastri behind, I think. I was also managing the tires, so I was optimistic and then I didn’t see, but I heard that I hit a groundhog and this is devastating. I love animals, so I’m very sad about this. This is horrible. This had never happened to me here before. But the bottom, on the right side, has a hole and all the veins are damaged. Then we had a problem with the brakes in the middle of the race too.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that the collision cost approximately 20 points (around half a second per lap) of aerodynamic support but joked that they would “send flowers to the groundhog.”
