The first Free Practise session of the Canadian GP did not go as planned, as the session had to be abandoned following CCTV issues on the track. Even though the fans did not get to the cars in action during the session, they got some rodent action on the track. This is because Groundhogs have made yet another grand appearance at the Canadian GP.
The FP1 session was red-flagged just minutes after it started when Pierre Gasly suffered a driveshaft failure on his Alpine during his outlap. However, the session was not restarted anymore because the CCTV cameras around the track failed.
In spite of that, fans had no shortage of entertainment as the cameras panned toward Montreal’s rodent residents invading the track. The groundhogs made their way onto the empty track on more than one occasion.
Fans enjoy the F1 Nature Show at the Canadian GP
With nothing better to do, fans indulged in the F1 wildlife show as the groundhogs stole the spotlight at the Canadian GP. One fan highlighted the appearance of the groundhog as the top moment of the FP1 session.
Another fan, Holly, claimed that they are absolutely in love with the F1 nature documentary.
Twitter user Nic had a funnier take on the CCTV incident that ruined the FP1 session. She claimed that it was the groundhogs who had chewed through the CCTV cables, causing them to fail.
Another user, Ky, claimed that even the groundhogs must have been surprised because of the cancellation of the session.
Finally, vic wrapped up the FP1 session with a brilliant standings table that speaks for itself.
The Groundhog History of at Canada
Groundhogs have had a long history with the Canadian GP. The native residents of Montreal have been often labeled by the authorities as impossible to capture. Even though numerous fences and barriers are put around the track, as their name suggests, the groundhogs always find new places to dig through and enter the track.
Various drivers have had incidents involving these animals at the Canadian GP. Anthony Davidson lost out on his first-ever F1 points after hitting a groundhog and damaging his front wing in 2007.
More than 10 years later, Romain Grosjean collided with a groundhog and ruined the front wing of his Haas. 2022 saw the emergence of Gary the Groundhog who made a daring dash in front of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari but was unharmed as Sainz successfully evaded the moving obstacle.
With quite a few more sessions to go, it is expected that fans will get to see more antics by the cute rodents. However, it will definitely be a headache for the drivers, who would have to look out for the furry groundhogs.
