Lewis Hamilton 'devastated' after freak incident damages Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton has explained his 'devastation' at hitting and killing a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix.

Starting fifth, Hamilton was running on the back end of the leading group of cars, but on Lap 13, approaching Turn 10, he ran over a groundhog. 

The impact caused damage to the Ferrari, costing Hamilton 20 points of downforce, equal to about half a second of performance per lap.

The seven-time champion eventually took the chequered flag in sixth place, his worst finish in Montreal as he also set an unwanted record of going without a podium in the first 10 races of a season for the first time in his career.

Reflecting on the incident with the groundhog, Hamilton explained his sadness.

"The feeling was pretty decent, I got a good start and was holding onto the group and managing the tyres as well, so I was feeling optimistic," Hamilton explained to Sky Sports F1. 

"I didn't see it happen, but it is devastating. I love animals, so I am sad about it. It has never happened to me before. 

"The floor, basically the right side, there was a hole, and the vanes were all gone, so given that, and then we had a brake issue halfway through as well. 

"We stayed out too long at the first stop, and came up behind traffic, and it just went from one thing to another, so I am grateful that I finished given the brake issue that I had. 

"We are really in need of an upgrade, and there are a lot of things which need to change."