F1: Albon runs over a marmot in Canada, crashes and is left out of the sprint; look
Free practice for the Canadian Formula 1 GP had a rare and tragic episode this Friday (22), in Montreal. Williams Racing driver Alexander Albon hit a groundhog that invaded the track at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and ended up on the wall shortly after the impact.
The accident happened in the final stretch of the activity, when there were 36 minutes left until the end of training. After hitting the animal, Albon lost control of the car and suffered significant damage, slowly crossing the road until stopping on the opposite side of the road.
The race management interrupted the session with a red flag to remove the car and the groundhog. The stoppage lasted around 15 minutes, later added to the official training timer.
The images from the international broadcast did not show the exact moment the groundhog was hit. The incident only became evident through cameras installed inside the Thai pilot's cockpit.
Unable to recover the car in time, Williams had to remove Albon from the sprint classification, held hours later and responsible for defining the grid for this Saturday's short race. The driver ended the only free practice of the weekend in 15th position.
Alex Albon unlucky hitting a marmot on the track causing a red flag.
#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/N41elTBj39
- Strieb (@Strieb_1) May 22, 2026
British team boss James Vowles stated that the impact compromised several areas of the car.
"It's one of the risks of this circuit. There are groundhogs here and they've been there every year we've been here. The damage was extensive: front, rear, potentially the floor, front wing and suspension. Alex's initial reaction was frustration, because he was fast and needed this session," he told Sky Sports.
It is not the first time that the Canadian circuit has recorded incidents of this type. Last year, Hamilton also ran over a groundhog during the race weekend and reported being "devastated" to discover what had happened.
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Source: CNN