8 Times Animals Invaded Formula 1

8. Bird - Kyalami (2000)

Sometimes these close encounters don't end well for the animal concerned. In the run up to the 2000 season, then rookie Jenson Button took his BMW-Williams car out for a test drive around the Kyalami circuit in South Africa. It was going smoothly until a large bird flew into the car's airbox while Button was on a hot lap, hurtling round the circuit at over 160 mph. The bird narrowly missed Button's head.

The incident forced Button to retire the car, but happily he came away unhurt and it didn't prevent him earning his super licence in time for the season opener in Australia. In his Formula One debut, Button ran as high as third place before foul luck saw him retire with engine problems.