F1 star KILLS animal in freak incident at Imola Grand Prix

A Formula 1 driver was responsible for the death of an animal during FP1 at the Imola Grand Prix after footage revealed the moment his car came into contact with the poor creature.

Alpine star Pierre Gasly demonstrated significant speed during practice on Friday, setting the third fastest time during his qualifying runs on the softs in FP2.

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However, as the Frenchman completed a lap around Imola during FP1 he was driving too fast to avoid contact with a rabbit, who scampered across the track and sadly met the Alpine’s front wing.

"I couldn’t tell if it was a small cat or a big rabbit, it turns out that it was a big rabbit just jumping across the track," Gasly said after the session.

"I could not avoid it. I had quite a big impact on the front wing. Unfortunately that was it for the rabbit," he confirmed.

Gasly kills rabbit at Imola Grand Prix

Local wildlife is not an unusual feature during F1 race weekends, with a variety of animals inviting themselves as grand prix guests in the past.

Between the groundhogs at the Canadian Grand Prix. Lizards invading the track in Singapore and yes, a full-sized dog in India, the sport is no stranger

Now, the prancing rabbit has joined this list of brave F1 animals who dared to claim the track as their own, although not in time for a yellow flag to slow down the cars so it could leave the track safely.

For a more cheerful compilation of F1’s animal encounters over the years - including Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton arguing about a seagull - the official website has put together the best animal moments on track.

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