Lewis Hamilton’s Canadian Grampurin was hampered by the damage he picked up early in the race when he hit the groundhog.
The Ferrari driver started at the fifth and was behind the Oscar Piastri for most of the first stint before fading the first pit stop phase. He was handed over through strategy to teammate Charles Leclair, who drifted backwards in the back of the car for nearly 30 seconds before the safety car period was slower.
“Up until then I think it was pretty decent,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “I got off to a good start, I was in position and held the group, and I was optimistic because I was also in control of the tires.
“Then I didn’t see it happen, but I heard it had hit the groundhog, so it’s devastating. I love animals, so it’s scary. It’s never happened to me here.
“Then we had braking issues along the way, and we all came out in the back of the traffic, probably at the first stop, too long, and headed out from one to another.
Hamilton qualified well on Saturday, but was unable to challenge the pole position. After a race that Leclair finished fifth but didn’t fit the pace of the drivers of Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull on the podium, Hamilton added:
