Lewis Hamilton confirms ‘devastating’ cause of Canadian GP damage

Lewis Hamilton confirmed he accidentally hit a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix, which was the cause of his in-race damage.

Hamilton had been running comfortably in the top five early in the race, only to lose pace as the laps went on, though he was able to cross the line sixth come the chequered flag.

Lewis Hamilton: Groundhog collision in Canadian GP ‘devastating’

The presence of groundhogs is not uncommon at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with the creatures often seen running close to the track on race weekend.

Hamilton admitted feeling “nowhere” during the race, but was told by race engineer Riccardo Adami that he was performing well in spite of the damage on his car, but the source of the damage had not been known.

Unfortunately for the Ferrari driver, he was unaware when he collided with a groundhog during the race and, while the estimated time loss equated to several tenths per lap as a result, the seven-time World Champion was more concerned about the fate of the animal.

“I think it was feeling pretty decent up until [the collision],” Hamilton told Sky F1 after the race.

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“I got a good start, held position, I was holding onto the group. I was managing the tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.

“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.

“So with the floor, basically the right side, there’s a hole in it, and all the veins are all gone. So, given that, and we had a brake issue halfway through as well, and then we stayed out probably too long in the first stop and came out behind traffic, and just went from one thing to another.

“I’m grateful that I could just finish, particularly with the brake issue I had, and bag those points. We’re really in need of an upgrade, and there’s lots of things that need to change in order for us to compete at the front.”

Hamilton remains sixth in the Drivers’ standings after the race, 25 points behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc after the first 10 rounds of the season.

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