Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton picked up damage during the Canadian Grand Prix through strange means.

Debris fills a Formula 1 circuit before, during, and after a race, though most of it is pieces of the vehicles driven on the track.

Hamilton’s SF-25 was damaged by one of the weirdest pieces of debris ever collected on the track: a hedgehog.

The Ferrari was going around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when it ended up going over a hedgehog.

Hamilton was unaware of the damage until race engineer Riccardo Adami let the driver know over the radio.

After the race, team personnel examined the car and, unfortunately, found the remains of a groundhog.

Known for loving animals, especially his dog Roscoe, Hamilton felt distraught when speaking to the media following the grand prix.

“I didn’t see it happen, but obviously I heard I hit a groundhog, so that’s devastating,” Hamilton said.

“I love animals, and I’m so sad about it. That’s horrible. That’s never happened to me here before.”

Hamilton’s race suffered as a result of the damage, limiting the amount of downforce created by the car.

Adami notified Hamilton about the hindrance after the seven-time world champion said he was going “nowhere” in the race, providing context for the lackluster pace.

All things considered, he left the race feeling good about his performance, given the circumstances.

“I think it was feeling pretty decent up until [the collision],” Hamilton added.

“I got a good start, held position, I was holding onto the group. I was managing the tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.

“So with the floor, basically the right side, there’s a hole in it, and all the veins are all gone.

“So, given that, and we had a brake issue halfway through as well, and then we stayed out probably too long in the first stop and came out behind traffic, and just went from one thing to another.

“I’m grateful that I could just finish, particularly with the brake issue I had, and bag those points. We’re really in need of an upgrade, and there’s lots of things that need to change in order for us to compete at the front.”

The British driver finished a solid P6 during the race, though he was the seventh fastest car on track.

He got bumped up one spot after McLaren driver Lando Norris made a desperate lunge and crashed out of the race.

His first season at Ferrari is full of struggles, but the result in Canada can instill some worthwhile confidence back in Hamilton.