Lewis Hamilton has disclosed that hitting a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix negatively affected his performance during the race in Montreal.
Hamilton finished the race in sixth place. However, his car sustained damage from the ninth lap of the 70-lap event after colliding with the animal. Groundhogs are known to frequent the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve circuit whenever Formula 1 visits.
The Ferrari driver reported losing 20 points of downforce as a result of the impact, which is estimated to be worth around half a second per lap. This damage contributed to the 22-second gap between him and his teammate Charles Leclerc before the late Safety Car period triggered by the collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“Up until that point, I felt quite strong. I had a solid start, maintained my position, and was keeping up with the leading pack,” Hamilton commented.
“I was managing the tires effectively and had a positive outlook. I didn`t witness the incident myself, but I was informed that I hit a groundhog. It`s truly devastating because I care deeply about animals, and I`m heartbroken about it. It`s a horrible situation, something I`ve never experienced before.”
“The right side of the car`s floor has a puncture, and all the internal structures are damaged. Considering that issue, alongside a brake problem I encountered midway through the race, and the fact that we stayed out too long on the first stint which put me behind traffic, it just became a sequence of problems. I`m grateful I managed to finish and secure some points, particularly given the brake issue I faced.”
Lewis Hamilton was visibly upset upon discovering he had struck a groundhog during the race in Canada.
The Montreal circuit was expected to be more favourable for Ferrari, yet Hamilton was still over six-tenths of a second off the pace of pole-position holder George Russell during Saturday`s qualifying session.
Hamilton hinted that Ferrari is planning to introduce an upgrade package for the upcoming F1 race in Austria, scheduled from June 27-29.
“We are definitely in need of performance upgrades, and several things need to improve for us to be competitive at the front of the grid,” he stated.
“Hopefully, we`ll receive something next week. I`m not sure how significant the improvement will be. I don`t anticipate it being a major leap. It just seems like this is one of those challenging years.”
Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc react after qualifying in Montreal.
Leclerc Questions Ferrari`s Race Strategy
Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris were two key drivers who started the race on hard compound tires, adopting an alternative strategy.
However, the Monegasque driver made a pit stop before reaching the halfway point of the race. This decision effectively ended any possibility of completing the race on a single stop, even though Leclerc indicated that his tires were still performing adequately at the time.
He was leading the race with 18 laps remaining when Ferrari called him into the pits for a second stop. This move resulted in him rejoining the track in fifth place.
Charles Leclerc`s car crashed during the first practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was quite convinced that a one-stop strategy would have been better for me,” Leclerc told reporters after the race.
“Initially, I believed I had managed the tires well. Then I observed the drivers who started on medium tires were pushing with relative confidence on that compound.”
“I was confident that the one-stop strategy was the correct approach. However, the team decided otherwise. I don`t have all the necessary information inside the cockpit, so we followed the plan for two stops. I gave my maximum effort, and fifth position was the best outcome I could achieve.”
“We paid the price for my mistake during FP1 and for encountering traffic during qualifying. I`m likely the first person to blame for our starting position. The race strategy could perhaps have been optimized, but our grid slot was the primary factor holding us back.”
