Squirrel collision may have cost Toyota the victory at Le Mans

Toyota looked ready to add another 24 Hours of Le Mans trophy to its collection until the leading car lost 12 seconds and gave up first place to Ferrari, who ended up winning. The team has traced the mechanical problem that cost it precious seconds to an impact with a squirrel.

Pascal Vasselon, the Toyota team's technical director, explained the incident to Motorsport.

"There have been some windows where we were sometimes dominating Ferrari. There is a logic behind that. Just after one of these moments where we were competitive, Ryo [Hirakawa] has hit a squirrel. It was probably not a very small one because it has done big damage to the front end," he explained. The impact slowed down the #8 car by blocking airflow and causing the engine to run hot.