F1 star Charles Leclerc in freak incident with wild animal at Dutch Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc drives towards a fox at the Dutch GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Dutch Grand Prix

F1 star in freak incident with wild animal at Dutch GP

Charles Leclerc encountered a bizarre issue at Zandvoort

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 30 August 2025 15:37 Updated: 17:51

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Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc got caught up in a close encounter with a wild animal at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend.

During Q2 of Saturday's qualifying for the 15th round of the 2025 championship, the Monegasque star took to team radio, telling race engineer Bryan Bozzi: "There was a fox, entry of Turn 10. I think he's taking the exit road though."

After the 27-year-old reported his sighting of a fox, the wild animal could then be seen darting across the circuit in the middle sector shortly after, running across the front of Leclerc's Ferrari.

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The appearance of the brave animal certainly kept the Sky F1 commentary team entertained, with pundit Karun Chandhok noting: "There is the little fox running across the track," before David Croft added a warning: "Don't try that at home!"

Thankfully the fox left the confines of the circuit, with no harm done to the animal or Leclerc's SF-25.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have not had a straightforward weekend in Zandvoort

Ferrari wavering at Dutch GP

The Scuderia's F1 driver duo endured a confusing weekend out on track at Zandvoort, with their scarlet Ferraris significantly off the pace throughout Friday and Saturday.

After a disappointing run of practice sessions concluded on Saturday morning, Leclerc and Hamilton both made it safely into Q3 despite the fox incident, with Hamilton finishing Q2 in P4 and Leclerc in P5.

The duo could not improve on that result in the final qualifying segment however, instead dropping to P6 (LEC) and P7 (HAM).

At the Hungarian GP last time out, the seven-time champion took his worst result since joining Ferrari, finishing P12, and though team-mate Leclerc may have finished up in P4, he was handed a five-second time penalty for erratic driving in a battle with George Russell.

The duo will be hoping for a more positive result on Sunday in the Dutch GP, with Mercedes just 24 points behind them in the constructors' standings.

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Ferrari Charles Leclerc Dutch Grand Prix