Not only Verstappen: these F1 stars data also hacked in FIA breach

Not only Max Verstappen’s data, but also that of several other past and present Formula 1 stars, were at risk after an FIA website was hacked.

The group of hackers stated they have not accessed any sensitive information and reported their findings to the FIA with immediate effect.

In different endurance series, the FIA uses driver categories to have equal teams. Data of competitors with a category on the website driverscategorisation.fia.com were at danger of being exposed.

The list includes many past and present Formula 1 drivers alongside Verstappen. Current championship contender Lando Norris also features, as do Franco Colapinto, Lance Stroll, and Nico Hülkenberg. All are listed with platinum categorisation.

The list includes past champions Jacques Villeneuve (1997) and Jenson Button (2009), and current stars in other series, such as Alex Palou (IndyCar), Chase Elliott and Shane van Gisbergen (NASCAR) as well.

The FIA reacts

In a statement shared with GPblog, an FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA became aware of a cyber incident involving the FIA Driver Categorisation website over the summer.

"Immediate steps were taken to secure drivers’ data, and the FIA reported this issue to the applicable data protection authorities in accordance with the FIA’s obligations.

“It has also notified the small number of drivers impacted by this issue. No other FIA digital platforms were impacted in this incident.

“The FIA has invested extensively in cyber security and resilience measures across its digital estate. It has put world-class data security measures in place to protect all its stakeholders and implements a policy of security-by-design in all new digital initiatives.”

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