Verstappen Won Canadian GP With A Dead Bird Stuck In His Brake Duct

Formula 1 championship leader and back-to-back World Champ, Max Verstappen, crossed the line in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix with an extra passenger on board... or at least the remains of one.

Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sits in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. It's a picturesque backdrop, but with that comes wildlife.

Now, I like animals as much as the next guy (unless the next guy is one of those PETA psychos) but wildlife and Formula 1 cars do not mix.

The track has seen numerous instances of animals wandering onto the circuit. More often than not groundhogs are the uninvited guests.

However, this time it had wings.

At some point during the race, Verstappen — who led the race from lights to flag — radioed to the Red Bull pitwall that he thought he had hit a bird.

While they didn't show it on air during the broadcast onboard cameras showed that he had done exactly that.

Verstappen Carried His Winged Passenger Across The Finish Line

Verstappen crossed the stripe just under 10 seconds ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in second place. It wasn't until after the champagne had been sprayed that it was revealed that not only did Verstappen hit the bird, he had finished the race with it stuck in his brake duct.

Brake ducts help cool the brakes but they also play a role when it comes to aerodynamic performance. So, had he not had a pigeon (or whatever kind of bird it was) wedged in there, he could have had an even bigger lead at the end of the race.

According to TMZ, this isn't the first time Verstappen has accidentally run into some local wildlife. During the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Monza — another circuit with a lot of trees just behind the barriers — Verstappen hit a squirrel.

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