F1 News: Mercedes Speaks Out On Impact Of Chaotic CrowdStrike Global Outage

Mercedes faced disruptions in their preparations for the Hungarian Grand Prix Free Practice 1 session due to a global outage affecting cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike.

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) during the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Mercedes' preparations for the Hungarian Grand Prix faced a significant hiccup due to a global outage affecting CrowdStrike, their cybersecurity provider and sponsor.

CrowdStrike, a key player in cybersecurity and sponsor of Mercedes since 2019, encountered a malfunction stemming from a defect in a recent update designated for Windows hosts. This misstep caused disruptions not only for the Mercedes F1 team but also rippled through their engine customers—Aston Martin, McLaren, and Williams.

George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, clarified the situation, explaining, as quoted by Motorsport Week:

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.

“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.”

A spokesperson from Mercedes addressed the partnership's efforts to overcome the challenge, affirming:

“We are working closely with our partners at CrowdStrike to mitigate any impact.”

The outage's impact extended beyond motorsports, hitting various sectors including airlines, banks, and retail stores globally.

CrowdStrike's response to the crisis included a prompt deployment of a fix for the update anomaly, along with continuous updates and support promised to all affected clients.

The Brackley-based squad were still able to get out for the first free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. George Russell finished with the fourth fastest time with his teammate Lewis Hamilton putting in the tenth fastest time of the session.