The Groundhog Incident: Hamilton's Unfortunate Mishap at the Montreal GP
- approximately 1 Min read
Unfortunate incident recorded:Details unveiled. - " Horrific incident": Ferrari driver Hamilton rolls over a groundhog
In a shocking turn of events at the Montreal Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, F1's record-breaking driver, met an unsuspecting groundhog, damaging his Ferrari and potentially impacting his race performance. The 40-year-old racing icon, a known animal lover, expressed his dismay over the incident.
"I can't believe it! This has never happened to me here before. I feel terrible about it," Hamilton lamented after finishing sixth. "When I heard it was a groundhog, I couldn't believe it."
Footage from the early stages of the race reveals the heart-stopping moment. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur stated that Hamilton ruined the entire front section of the underbody in the collision, causing a performance penalty that Hamilton initially struggled to explain, not realizing he had struck the animal.
That Fateful Collision: Lewis Hamilton vs. Groundhog
"There was a hole in the right side of the underbody," Hamilton admitted later, also mentioning a brake issue he encountered later in the race. "I'm just glad I managed to finish with the brake problem and collect those points," he added, proving his resilience.
Groundhog encounters during races in Montreal are not unheard of. In 2018, French driver Romain Grosjean suffered damage to his car due to a similar incident in practice. Last year, world champion Max Verstappen nearly collided with a groundhog that darted across the track in front of him, but he expertly avoided it.
- Lewis Hamilton
- Groundhog
- F1
- Montreal
- Canada
- Ferrari
A Closer Look: Groundhog Incidents in F1 Races at Montreal
While comprehensive records of groundhog incidents during F1 races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal are not widely available, they have been noted in several instances.
- 2025 Canadian Grand Prix: Hamilton revealed he ran over a groundhog during the race, causing damage to his Ferrari SF-25. This incident took place on lap 12, just before the hairpin at Turn 10, resulting in significant damage to his car's floor, impacting his performance.
- Previous Years: While detailed historical data on groundhog incidents in earlier years at the Canadian Grand Prix is scarce, the circuit's location on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, its rich wildlife, makes it fertile terrain for such occurrences.
- In the unfortunate incident at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton encountered a groundhog, damaging his Ferrari SF-25, an event that may have influenced his performance.
- Despite the European-league focus, groundhog incidents in F1 races, like the one experienced by Hamilton in Montreal, indicate that these animals pose an unexpected challenge even on racetracks abroad.
