During the Mexican Grand Prix qualifying, a server crash at F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli caused major confusion in tyre data.

This glitch affected both timing screens and TV graphics, making it hard to get accurate information on tyre usage.

The issue became noticeable in Q1 when McLaren and Ferrari drivers went out on medium tyres, but the graphics showed them on softs.

Later on, the compound type was fixed but the live timing mistakenly suggested some drivers were on 2025 prototype tyres tested during FP2 on Friday.

The biggest problem was the missing information on whether drivers were using new or used tyre sets as in qualifying, this detail is key because teams often save fresh rubber for later runs.

After the qualifying, where Carlos Sainz took the pole position, Pirelli boss Mario Isola addressed the issue, which hasn’t happened for a long time.

“There was a crash of the system. Basically, the system was not working,” Isola told Motorsport.com.

“We didn't receive the data from the tablet [used to log the tyres each driver is on when leaving the garage], so we didn't have the data on our server and it was impossible to communicate that to F1.

“We are investigating the reason why we had this issue because it never happened in many years. It’s strange.

“Our system that obviously works with Wi-Fi and other systems that are provided by other companies.

“We need to understand where the issue came from to avoid that it happens [in the Mexican GP on Sunday] and other occasions.

“To be honest, it was strange because it never happened before. We will investigate.”

Pirelli expects most drivers will opt for a one-stop strategy on Sunday, starting on mediums and finishing on hards. However, some may start on hards to run longer, hoping for a late safety car, which could allow a switch to softs for extra grip in the final laps.