Lewis Hamilton ‘devastated’ after running over animal on track

Lewis Hamilton has been left emotional after sharing the “horrible” news that his car ran over an animal at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton has been left emotional after sharing the “horrible” news that his car ran over an animal at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champ said after Monday morning’s race in Montreal, which was won by former teammate George Russell, his Ferrari went over a local groundhog during the race.

The Canadian critter is famous for making appearances at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and there were several sightings of groundhogs throughout the weekend.

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However, the saddest sighting of the bunch unfolded on Monday when Hamilton confirmed his race had been derailed by damage caused by a groundhog that had found its way onto the middle of the track.

Hamilton’s Ferrari suffered damage to its floor and it had a significant impact on his car’s performance.

After collecting the groundhog on Lap 12, Hamilton slipped from fifth to seventh. He finished the race in P6 after McLaren’s Lando Norris crashed out following contact with Oscar Piastri.

Hamilton said he was not aware he had struck the animal until told by his team’s engineer later in the race.

“I got a good start (to the race), held position, I was holding onto the group and managing tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic,” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“Then, and I didn’t see it happen, but I heard I hit a groundhog.

“That’s devastating, I love animals and that’s so, so sad about it. That’s horrible. That’s never happened to me here before.

“But the floor, the right side, there’s a hole in it and all the vanes are all gone.”

F1 fans were left saddened on Hamilton’s behalf.

Oscar Piastri’s mum Nicole was one of those.

“Oh no!!! RIP little groundhog,” she posted on X.

“Not your fault Lewis.”

Lewis Hamilton looked genuinely troubled. Photo: X.

The sad moment Lewis ran over the animal. Photo: X.

Hamilton said he felt lucky to finish the race because of braking issues he had managed from early in the race.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has been a difficult period for the former Mercedes driver — who has watched his old team improve dramatically since the start of the 2025 season.

Ferrari are expected to bring an upgrade for the race after next, Hamilton’s home race in Silverstone, with the goal of improving the rear suspension.

“We’re really in need of an upgrade and there’s a lot of things that need to change before we can fight at the front,” he said.

A groundhog looks on from a hole in the barriers at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images/AFP,

Russell won the race in Montreal to claim his first victory of the season ahead of Max Verstappen and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli rounding out the podium.

Red Bull lodged two protests against the Mercedes winner after the race.

Russell and Verstappen were involved in a bizarre incident after Lando Norris crashed into Oscar Piastri, triggering a safety car late in the race

With the race finishing under a safety car yellow flag, Russell, 27, finished just 0.228 seconds ahead of Verstappen.

Norris apologises for ‘stupid’ McLaren crash

Lando Norris crashed out of the Canadian Grand Prix after coming unstuck in a tense battle with Oscar Piastri, allowing the Australian to extend his championship lead.

Drama exploded in the final laps when Norris was hot on his teammate’s tail.

Norris overtook Piastri down the inside of a corner, only for the Aussie to respond by drawing alongside Norris in a blistering duel down the back straight.

Piastri then went down the inside of the chicane under braking to stay in front in fourth position, but the battle wasn’t over.

Norris had DRS again going up the pit straight and moved up on the inside of Piastri — a gap that was too narrow.

Norris immediately took responsibility for the incident, saying it was “stupid from me.”

Originally published as Lewis Hamilton ‘devastated’ after running over animal on track