Mercedes F1 team fixing computers after global CrowdStrike outage · RaceFans

Mercedes are working to solve the problems caused by a global computer systems outage before Formula 1 practice begins at the Hungaroring today.

Airlines, banks and media have suffered serious disruption due to a defective update provided by CrowdStrike. The security services company, which offers protection against cyberattacks, has supplied services to Mercedes since 2019 and its branding appears on the teams’ cars.

A Mercedes spokesperson confirmed the team is manually addressing the problem on each computer it uses and expects it will be able to operate as normal during today’s practice sessions. First practice is due to begin at 1:30pm local time.

The problem is also understood to have affected machines being used for Mercedes’ engine customers McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams. “We are working closely with our partners at CrowdStrike to mitigate any impact,” Mercedes’ spokesperson confirmed.

F1 teams’ computer systems are a critical part of their operation. Besides being essential for running the cars, they are also needed to share vast quantities of data in real-time between their trackside operations and the majority of their staff working in their factories.

Among the other teams, Red Bull and Sauber are understood to be unaffected.

As teams have become ever more reliant on their systems, any failures have become a more significant threat to their operations. A paddock-wide systems failure affected all teams during the first practice session for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in 2021, leaving those on the pit wall “blind” to what was happening.

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Two years earlier Alfa Romeo suffered a loss of power in their garage at the Singapore Grand Prix. As a result neither of their cars were able to run for the first hour of the first practice session.

The CrowdStrike fault is causing major disruption to worldwide computing systems. Many airports and airlines are reporting significant disruption, television channels have been taken off air and hospitals and doctors’ surgeries have had to scale back their activities due to the outage.

CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz confirmed they have identified the fault and are distributing a fix. “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” he said. “Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organisations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.”