16/06/2025
NEWS STORY
Lewis Hamilton admits to being devastated after learning that damage to his car was caused by collision with a groundhog.
Early in the race, the Briton was informed that he had incurred damage to his car that was losing him around 20 points of downforce, and from there on in it was another afternoon in no man's land for the seven-time world champion, who, in the latter stages, was further hampered by a brake issue.
However, it was only after the race that he learned the cause of the damage to his floor.
"I got a good start, held position, I was holding onto the group and managing tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic," he told Sky Sports. "Then, and I didn't see it happen, but I heard I hit a groundhog," he revealed.
"That's devastating," he continued, "I love animals and that's so, so sad. That's never happened to me here before. The floor, the right side, there's a hole in it and all the vanes are all gone."
Over the years groundhogs have proved to be a problem - as have seagulls - with Anthony Davidson and Romain Grosjean among the drivers to have encountered the wandering rodents.
"Given that and we had a brake issue halfway through as well, and we stayed out probably too long after the first stop and came out behind traffic and it just went from one thing to another," said Hamilton. "So I'm happy I could just finish, especially with the brake issue I had.
"We're really in need of an upgrade," he admitted, "and there's a lot of things that need to change before we can fight at the front."