MONTREAL — The first practice of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix weekend was briefly red-flagged after Williams driver Alex Albon crashed after hitting a groundhog.Williams confirmed that the incident occurred as Albon “came around turn seven and unfortunately couldn’t avoid a groundhog” that had made its way onto the track.The 30-year-old proceeded to crash into the barriers, and debris littered the track. Practice subsequently was extended 15 more minutes over the usual one-hour slot. The session had already been extended by four minutes, after Liam Lawson triggered a red flag after coming to a stop in the first sector.This is one of the risks of Canada’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The track is on the manmade Île Notre-Dame and situated inside Parc Jean-Drapeau. There’s been countless moments over the years of groundhogs either popping up trackside or daring to run across, like one decided to do on Friday afternoon.Nicholas Latifi, in 2018, and Romain Grosjean, four years later in 2022, both hit groundhogs during practice sessions. And just last year, Lewis Hamilton struck one during the race, around Lap 12.“I got a good start (to the race), held position, I was holding onto the group and managing tires well, so I was feeling optimistic,” Hamilton told Sky Sports after the 2025 Canadian GP. “I didn’t see it happen, but I heard I hit a groundhog so that’s devastating.“I love animals, and I’m so sad about it. That’s horrible. That’s never happened to me here before. But the floor, basically the right side, there’s a hole in it and all the vanes are all gone.”Difficult to move groundhogs away from trackOne of the obvious questions people may ask is why the animals are on the island, despite the loud and dangerous sport that comes to the island once a year.There is natural food and few predators. Dr. Christine Maher, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Southern Maine, told The Athletic in a 2024 interview that permanently relocating the groundhogs to a new home isn’t that simple because these creatures disperse.And even if the groundhogs are relocated, new animals could move in. It is an outdoor park, after all. Geese have already been seen around the track.“There are bridges and roads to the island. And they also can get across,” Dr. Maher said.“You won’t solve that problem as long as the habitat is there. So, you have to figure out other ways to mitigate the threat. Which can be very challenging because these guys burrow, and it’s going to be hard to kind of woodchuck-proof the track because, yeah, unless you dig down those fences, they’re going to get onto the track.“So it’s a challenge.”Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve isn’t the only track where we see animals pop up from time to time. Some may recall the lizard from the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.