F1 star encounters wild animal at Dutch Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

F1 star encounters wild animal at Dutch Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc encountered a bizarre issue at Zandvoort

Originally written by Kerry Violet. This version is a translation.

Saturday 30 August 2025 21:00

F1 star Charles Leclerc avoided an incident with a wild animal during qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend.

As the second session of qualifying got underway, Leclerc was heard telling race engineer Bryan Bozzi over team radio: "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.

How did Ferrari get on in qualifying at the Dutch GP?

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 endured 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.

Formula 1