Williams explain Alex Albon F1 car damage after hitting groundhog

James Vowles has revealed the extent of the damage suffered by Alex Albon after the Williams driver hit a groundhog during Practice 1 for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Albon lost out on crucial running at the Montreal Sprint weekend, missing out on over half an hour of track time after striking a groundhog on the exit of Turn 7. 

His car then slid to a halt some distance down the track, with heavy damage visible down the entire left-hand side. 

"It's one of the risks of this circuit," team principal Vowles told Sky Sports.

"I know that it sounds strange to people who aren't used to it, but there are marmots here, and in the years that we have been coming here, unfortunately, there have been a few of these. 

"It's hard to see from the footage, but he hit a marmot, and you'll see the damage is extensive from that part onwards - front corner, rear corner, potentially the floor and front wing, etc., and rear suspension."

Albon has endured a difficult start to the season, scoring his first point with a 10th-place finish last time out in Miami. 

"His initial reaction was frustration, because he was quick, he was up on Carlos [Sainz], his pace was looking good, and he needs this session," added Vowles. 

"In these Sprint sessions, you get 60 minutes, and that's it. To lose over half of it is frustrating. 

However, soon after returning from the scene of the accident, Albon had relaxed somewhat, with Vowles revealing a bizarre concern that had taken over his thoughts. 

Vowles said: "Back in the garage, he's more worried about his mum who suspects that he's going to have to pay to adopt a family of marmots, because that is a consequence of that." 

With the Sprint format meaning that Sprint Qualifying takes place as the second on-track session on Friday, Williams lost vital learning opportunities in practice. 

"Because of the red flags and conditions, we couldn't run the soft tyre, and that soft is looking pretty punchy here," said Vowles. 

"And the fuel is all over the place on these Sprint weekends. The bit you can say; is Mercedes quick and their update working? Yeah, they look pretty good. Is McLaren also up there and Ferrari just behind that? Yup."