Lewis Hamilton Calls Hitting Groundhog in Race 'Devastating'

Lewis Hamilton thought he started out well Sunday in the Canadian Grand Prix, saying later he'd held position and was managing the tires well. "I was feeling optimistic," the seven-time world champion said, CNN reports. Then something happened, though Hamilton, 40, didn't know what. His car had hit a groundhog, he later learned. "I love animals, so I'm so sad about it," Hamilton said. "It's horrible. It's never happened to me here before." He finished the Montreal race in sixth place.

The floor of Hamilton's Ferrari was damaged by the impact, leaving a hole in the floor and costing him about a half-second per lap. He took solace in finishing the race at all, after also enduring a brake problem. But the animal rights activist and vegan called the news that he'd hit a groundhog "devastating" and said he hoped the animal didn't suffer. There's a large groundhog population around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, per ESPN, which has caused problems before. (More auto racing stories.)