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Lewis Hamilton was left 'devastated' after running over a furry intruder on the track during Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.
The unfortunate victim was a groundhog — a familiar, if occasionally reckless, resident at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
It darted across the asphalt during lap 13, only to be struck by Hamilton's Ferrari at high speed, producing an audible thud and what appeared to be instant death for the animal.
The impact not only killed the groundhog but caused visible damage to the floor of Hamilton's car, hampering his performance and contributing to a frustrating afternoon in Montreal.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton told Sky Sports: 'It was feeling pretty decent up until then. And then, I didn't see it happen, but obviously I heard I hit a groundhog.
'So that's devastating. I love animals, and I'm so sad about it. That's horrible. That's never happened to me here before.'
Lewis Hamilton said he felt 'devastated' after hitting a groundhog at the Canadian Grand Prix
Many groundhogs were seen near the track, including one that got tragically close to the action
This image was captured from Hamilton's Ferrari moments before it ran over the furry animal
Ferrari confirmed that the right side of Hamilton's floor had taken a hit, resulting in a loss of downforce.
The damage, estimated at '20 points' by team engineers, left the Briton nursing his car to the finish line in sixth place.
Reacting to the incident, Nicole Piastri — mother of McLaren driver Oscar — posted on social media: 'Oh no!!! RIP little groundhog. (not your fault Lewis).'
Hamilton had qualified fifth, but brake issues, awkward pit stop timing, and the floor damage left him stuck in traffic as Mercedes dominated the day.
George Russell stormed to victory from pole, while rookie Kimi Antonelli celebrated his first Formula One podium in third. Max Verstappen split the pair in second.
The Canadian Grand Prix has a long history of wildlife encounters — with groundhogs, in particular, known to scurry onto the circuit during race weekends.
In 2007, Anthony Davidson hit one while driving for Super Aguri. Thankfully, most are spotted in time and safely avoided — but sadly not this time.
Hamilton added: 'It's never nice to see that. You don't want to be the cause of that. I just hope it didn't suffer.'
