Romain Grosjean's painful wildlife encounter

©Haas

It's the story of an unlucky high-speed encounter between a Haas and a marmot, and unfortunately one of the two did not survive.

The Ile de Notre Dame wild inhabitant had been spotted on the track during Friday's practice, in the vicinity of Turn 13. The daring groundhog just got too close for comfort and the inevitable occurred.

“It was a big impact. It was a big animal,” the Frenchman told Autosport.

“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."

Haas' drivers had be warned by team boss Guenther Steiner to keep out of trouble during practice and qualifying as the US outfit is dramatically short on spare parts.

Grosjean's roadkill and destroyed front wing now leaves him with zero margin for error.

“We are quite limited on spare parts, and losing a front wing like this is a bit disappointing.

But it happens in Canada, and it’s a shame. There are things you can control and things you can’t.

“It’s not great, but there’s not much we could have done differently.”