Ferrari informed Hamilton that he had suffered damage during the race, later identifying the cause as running over a groundhog on lap 12.

The 40-year-old, a well-known animal lover, said he was devastated by the news after what was already a difficult race in Montreal.

“I got a good start, held position, I was holding onto the group and managing tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the race.

“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.”

Hamilton said the collision damaged the floor of his car, contributing to his drop from fifth on the grid to seventh. He ultimately finished sixth after Lando Norris retired late in the race.

He also revealed a brake issue further hampered his performance.

“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,” Hamilton said.

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

Groundhogs are a common sight around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with previous race weekends also affected by the animal.

Romain Grosjean hit one while driving for Haas in 2018, while Anthony Davidson collided with one during the 2007 race for Super Aguri.