The start of the Grand Prix weekend didn’t go as Mercedes had hoped. The British-German racing team faced issues with their computer systems on Friday, and are currently working hard to resolve these before the first practice session (VT1). The problems arose due to a faulty update from American cybersecurity technology company CrowdStrike.
The Mercedes team is not the only entity affected by the CrowdStrike issues. Airlines, banks, hospitals, and media companies worldwide are grappling with problems due to the defective update. CrowdStrike is an American company that aids in protection against cyberattacks and has been working with Mercedes since 2019.
Mercedes is not the only Formula 1 team that has been hit. Customer teams McLaren, Aston Martin, and Williams are also dealing with the same dilemma. Red Bull Racing and Sauber are two of the few teams that have not been affected by the problems.
Mercedes Hopes to Resolve Issue Before VT1
A spokesperson for Mercedes confirmed to RaceFans that Mercedes is indeed working hard to fix the problems: “We are working closely with our partners at CrowdStrike to mitigate the impact.” The team hopes to resolve the problems by 4:30 AM UST, when VT1 begins.
George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, confirmed that his company has identified the fault and is working on fixing it. “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers affected by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” he said. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been rolled out.”
