"Shocking", "sad": F1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton runs over marmot

"Shocking," "sad" F1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton runs over marmot 15.06.2025, 23:18

A pitch-black day for Lewis Hamilton – and a Canadian marmot. The Formula 1 record world champion runs over such a rodent during a race and is subsequently inconsolable. Before that, another crash causes long faces.

For a few laps, things were finally going well for Lewis Hamilton, but this now unfamiliar feeling didn't last long. His Ferrari suddenly lost power in the middle of the Canadian Grand Prix – and the reason was hard for the avowed animal lover to bear.

"I've been told I ran over a marmot," Hamilton told Sky after the race. "It's shocking. I love animals, so it makes me very sad. It's never happened to me here before."

Such an accident is unlikely, however, on the track in Montreal. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is known for its marmots. The circuit is located on a man-made, lush island in the St. Lawrence River, and the rodents are a common sight here. Year after year, they sit conspicuously calmly along the racetrack while cars race past at over 300 km/h. One of them recently proved fatal for Hamilton's Ferrari.

Norris apologizes for crash

The SF25 sustained damage and lost considerable downforce, costing the record world champion half a second per lap. In the end, he couldn't manage better than sixth place.

Hamilton is still waiting for a turnaround in his first year at Ferrari, and he no longer seems particularly confident. "We really need an upgrade; a lot has to change for us to be able to fight at the front," he said, adding that there is "not much" being said about new developments at Ferrari: "I think there will be something next week, but I don't think it will change much." The 2025 season, Hamilton's first in red, will "probably just be one of those years," Hamilton said.

Aside from Hamilton, Lando Norris caused the biggest stir in Canada when he crashed into the rear of Oscar Piastri shortly before the finish and was subsequently unable to continue. "I'm sorry, guys. That was stupid of me," the Briton radioed to his McLaren crew in a disappointed voice. His teammate finished fourth, but stood in the pit lane after the race with a pale face and a blank expression. The worst-case scenario at McLaren had been long-awaited, and in Montreal, it finally happened.