Ferrari Driver Expresses Devastation Over Collision with Wild Animal

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One world champion, has spoken out about the distress he felt after his Ferrari struck a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. The incident occurred 13 laps into the race, damaging the underside of Hamilton’s car and leaving the animal lover visibly distraught.

Hamilton, who qualified in fifth place on the grid, was hoping to make inroads on his competitors while managing his tires. However, the accident cost him half a second per lap and was followed by other problems with the car, including a brake issue that arose halfway through the race. Despite these setbacks, he managed to finish sixth in a race won by George Russell.

The incident has left Hamilton shaken, and he expressed his distress in an interview with Sky Sports. “I was holding on up until the damage, I was kind of holding on to Oscar Piastri I think,” he said. “I was feeling optimistic and then I didn’t see it happen but obviously I heard I hit a groundhog, so that’s devastating. I love animals so I’m so sad about it. That’s horrible. It’s never nice to see that – I just hope it didn’t suffer.”

Hamilton’s concern for the groundhog’s well-being is a testament to his compassionate nature, and it’s clear that the incident has left a lasting impact on him. In addition to the emotional toll of the accident, Hamilton will also have to contend with the physical damage to his car, which will require repairs before the next race.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris, who collided with his teammate Oscar Piastri in the closing laps of the grand prix, has been warned to expect “tough conversations” from his McLaren team. Norris accepted full responsibility for the collision, which left him 22 points behind Piastri in the battle for the drivers’ title.

Team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that the incident may have dented Norris’s confidence, but emphasized that the team will provide him with support and preserve their parity and equality in terms of how they go racing. “This may have an impact in terms of his confidence,” Stella said. “We will have conversations, and the conversations may even be tough, but there’s no doubt over the support we give to Lando and over the fact that we will preserve our parity and equality in terms of how we go racing at McLaren between our two drivers.”

Nico Rosberg, who competed against Hamilton at Mercedes for three seasons, believes Norris is facing a dark period. Reflecting on his own mental battles as he duelled for the title, Rosberg warned that Norris may struggle to overcome the negative thoughts and self-doubt that can creep in after a series of mistakes.

“It becomes a little bit traumatic because you start spiralling negatively down and down, and you get this repetition of: ‘I’m making mistakes, and I’m not good enough,’ and it starts to get to you in your head,” Rosberg said. “It can get really dark, and I’ve been through this, especially when you make a mistake like today where everybody can see it, you even hit your teammate, so your whole team is thinking: ‘What’s going on?’ It’s a difficult place to be, and it’s going to take some time for Lando to get out of that mindset.”

Despite his latest setback, Norris remains optimistic and is already looking forward to the next round of the championship in Austria. “There are plenty more races left,” he said. “I don’t expect to catch Oscar easily. I have to work hard for it and make less mistakes than I did this weekend.”