SIR LEWIS HAMILTON was left devastated after killing a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix

The F1 legend ran over a rodent at near warp speed as he zipped around Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last Sunday afternoon.

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Sir Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in last Sunday’s Canadian Grand PrixCredit: SHUTTERSTOCK

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The F1 legend accidentally killed a groundhog during the raceCredit: SHUTTERSTOCK

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Hamilton ran over the critter during the 12th lap of the race

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The animal lover was left devastated by the death of the rodentCredit: SHUTTERSTOCK
Hamilton ran over the critter on the 12th lap of the race, which resulted in some minor damage to his Ferrari and a loss of downforce.

The animal lover was blissfully unaware of his accidental killing of the groundhog and was crushed to have learned its fate from a member of the team.

The Stevenage speedster told Sky Sports: “I got a good start [to the race], held position.

“I was holding onto the group and managing tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.

“Then, and I didn’t see it happen, but I heard I hit a groundhog.

“That’s devastating, I love animals and that’s so, so sad. That’s never happened to me here before.

“But the floor, the right side, there’s a hole in it and all the vanes are all gone.”

Hamilton finished the race – which was won by his former Mercedes team-mate George Russell – in sixth place.

The 40-year-old said: “Given that and we had a brake issue halfway through as well, and we stayed out probably too long after the first stop and came out behind traffic and it just went from one thing to another.

“So I’m happy I could just finish, especially with the brake issue I had.

“We’re really in need of an upgrade and there’s a lot of things that need to change before we can fight at the front.”

Hamilton and his rivals will be back in action a week on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring in the Austrian Grand Prix.