Lewis Hamilton says he is “devastated” after accidentally hitting a groundhog during Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
The Ferrari driver struck the animal on lap 13, causing damage to the floor of his SF-25 car.
Despite the setback, Hamilton managed to finish sixth, though his team estimated the incident cost him around half a second per lap for the remainder of the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
However, the seven-time world champion, a vegan and outspoken animal lover, was more distressed by the animal’s fate than the impact on his race.
“It was feeling pretty decent up until then. And then, I didn’t see it happen, but obviously I heard I hit a groundhog,” Hamilton said.
“So that’s devastating. I love animals, and I’m so sad about it. That’s horrible. It’s never happened to me here before. It’s never nice to see that — I just hope it didn’t suffer.”
Groundhogs, a species of large ground squirrel native to North America, are commonly seen around the Montreal circuit, which sits on an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River.
Mercedes driver George Russell claimed victory from pole position to secure his first win of the season, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen finishing second.
