Lewis Hamilton Left ‘Devastated’ After Hitting Groundhog at Canadian Grand Prix, Suffers Emotional and Technical Blow
Lewis Hamilton endured a heartbreaking moment during the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix after an unexpected incident involving a groundhog left him both emotionally shaken and dealing with a significantly compromised car. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion ran over the small animal during lap 13 of the race, damaging the underside of his Ferrari and costing him a significant chunk of aerodynamic performance—estimated to be the equivalent of losing around 20 points of downforce.
The incident, which occurred midway through the race in Montreal, cast a shadow over what had been a promising start for the British driver. Hamilton had lined up fifth on the grid, alongside long-time rival Fernando Alonso, and was showing strong pace in the opening laps. He managed to hold position after the lights went out, running with the lead group and managing his tyres effectively. It appeared he was in contention for a top-five finish, possibly even challenging further up the order depending on how strategies played out.
“It was feeling pretty decent up until then,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 in his post-race interview. “I got a good start, held position, I was holding on to the group, I was managing the tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.”
However, everything changed when he unknowingly struck a groundhog on the circuit. While Hamilton didn’t immediately realise what had happened, he was informed over team radio after the fact, and the news clearly left him deeply upset.
“I didn’t see it happen, but obviously I heard I hit a groundhog,” Hamilton said, visibly distressed. “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.”
This emotional setback was compounded by the physical damage to his Ferrari. The animal strike tore through the car’s floor on the right-hand side, taking out several aerodynamic components and leaving a gaping hole in a part of the vehicle critical to maintaining downforce and balance.
“The floor, basically, the right side has a hole in it and all the vanes are gone,” Hamilton explained.
Despite his best efforts to nurse the wounded car to the finish line, Hamilton was ultimately unable to recover from the performance deficit. He crossed the line in sixth place, just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, in what will go down as one of the more unfortunate races of his long and storied career.
Animal-related incidents are not unheard of at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is situated on the man-made Île Notre-Dame in the middle of the St. Lawrence River and is known for its resident wildlife. Groundhogs in particular are a common sight, but rarely do they cause such a serious sporting and emotional setback as they did for Hamilton this weekend.
