Romain Grosjean has questioned why Formula 1 stewards didn’t move a groundhog, or marmot, before he struck it on track during the second practice session at the Canadian GP.
The sight of animals on or around the circuit is not too uncommon in Montreal with the track located on an island in the St. Lawrence Seaway and surrounded by plenty of trees and other vegetation, indeed in 2007 Anthony Davidson missed out on a podium for Super Aguri after hitting a marmot and damaging his front wing.
That was exactly the consequences of Grosjean’s incident with nature, but what was different is this marmot had been seen resting by the side of the circuit throughout the session.
“It was a big impact. It was a big animal,” the Frenchman said. “It’s a bit disappointing because they showed it on TV before the beginning of the session at Turn 13, and that’s exactly where I hit it.
“I’m surprised they didn’t move it. It’s a shame for the animal, of course, and it’s a shame for our front wing as well. We are quite limited on spare parts, and losing a front wing like this is a bit disappointing.”
Haas later tweeted the photo of the damage, as seen in the photo at the top of this article, and luckily for Grosjean one spare new wing is believed to be available while the other aero pieces can be repaired.
This is important as the American team has brought a substantial upgrade package for this weekend and it helped Romain finish as the top midfield runner in practice two in P7.
“The car felt good, the upgrade is very nice, we’ve got some good front end there, which I’m very happy with, and more downforce in general,” he commented.
“There are a few things we can improve for tomorrow but generally I was quite pleased with the car.”
