Navigating the Race: Unpacking Team Strategy Lessons from Le Mans 2023 for Software Development

In the exhilarating realm of motor racing, Le Mans stands out for its intensity and fierce competition. Yet, the lessons learned from this iconic event echo far beyond the track. The 2023 Le Mans race was especially memorable, with Scuderia Ferrari achieving an unexpected victory over the seasoned Toyota Motor Corporation . But the insightful stories lie beyond the headlines and spotlight. The strategies and decisions contributing to this victory offer valuable insights, notably for software development and team management. In this article, we'll unpack the most salient lessons from Le Mans 2023 and explore their application to enhance our software development and management practices.

Ferrari's path to victory began just a year prior, marking a significant milestone in motor racing history. In this brief time, Ferrari managed to outdo Toyota, a team that dominated the endurance prototype field for the past decade. The question is, how did Ferrari pull off this feat, and what can we learn from their approach and strategy?

Ferrari's Victory, Toyota's Defeat

The victory, beyond Ferrari's impressive prototype and management - far from their usual F1 performance - provokes a question.

How much was their merit, and how much was the demerit of their direct rival, Toyota?

With just two hours left, when a few seconds separated Ferrari's #51 from Toyota's #8, Toyota made a decision that was illogical but not unexpected. They sat their least experienced Japanese driver, while seasoned Brendon Hartley was closing in on the race lead.

Why this controversial decision that robbed them of all hope of victory? The Japanese aim for a local driver to cross the finish line. That is, the victory isn't complete unless a Japanese driver sees the checkered flag.

Not only did they ensure that a Japanese driver wasn't in the photo finishing the race, but also that it wasn't a Japanese car, Toyota's #8, who won.

Strategic Decisions: Individual Favor or Collective Benefit?

Toyota, as an individual entity, chose to prioritize a Japanese driver and car crossing the finish line over the very possible race victory. Due to this decision, the headline wasn't "Toyota wins Le Mans 2023 despite the unfair BoP (Balance of Performance)" but rather "Ferrari wins the centenary edition of Le Mans." Truthfully, no headline will focus on who crossed the line with Ferrari, but for Toyota, it seemed crucial to take the photo home.

Is this the only decision that prioritizes individual interest over the collective?

Not at all. A similar situation unfolded in the LMP2 category (the second prototype category). An hour from the end, they benched driver Albert Costa, who was maintaining, if not winning, the pulse against the experienced Robert Kubica, second in the category. Inter Europol Competition decided to take Fabio Scherer, who was suspected of having a broken foot due to being run over by a direct rival just hours before, to the finish. After sitting in the prototype, the time difference achieved by the Spanish driver was reduced until WRT became a wake of Inter Europol. They were luckier than Toyota, achieving victory, but not without significant cold sweats.

These are not extraordinary cases. While we didn't experience it this year, the now-retired Dalla Lana was often the protagonist of these stories. Considered one of the best amateur drivers in his category, he was constantly spinning, going off the track, or losing control of the vehicle with lower times compared to his teammates.

On the other side, we have Patrick Dempsey. The renowned actor from Grey's Anatomy also had his place in the Le Mans 24h a few years back as a driver. However, he understood his limitations and decided to stay in a role that is probably more appropriate for him and allows him to continue enjoying the races; thus, he maintains his participation in the 24h through his team Dempsey-Proton Racing.

Hence, two very different attitudes are evident:

? Prioritizing individual victory over common success, even though the latter may lead to a more glorious result.

? Recognizing each person's place in the team and contributing the maximum from this position.

Practical Innovations: Ingenious Solutions and Technology

This is not the only lesson. Like every year, we witnessed ingenious solutions that are not always the most technological.

? Duct tape. A classic in motor competitions. It helps to provide support, cover holes, keep certain objects at hand, and a myriad of other uses. It's quick, cheap, and effective.

? The chalkboard. What do you do when technology - in this case, the radio - fails? We go back to analog instructions, with a chalkboard. They are not perfect, but they are effective. This was the case for the LMP2 that won. In case it was not enough with a sore foot, a driver losing seconds every lap, and a door that would not open, the radio lost communication with the pit.

? Comradeship. More than one nose and door were seen that did not correspond to the colors or numbers of the car carrying it. Generosity is one of the characteristics of this great race. You never know when you might need a shock absorber or brake caliper from another car.

The Importance of Testing and Experience in a Real Environment

Test incessantly. The race favorite was Toyota. And it was not because they had to put the most ballast on the prototype. The reason was none other than the experience in the race and the expected reliability of the car. Compared to the rest of the prototypes, the Japanese had a more tested car, with experience in other seasons and races of this duration. For Ferrari, on the other hand, surpassing the 8th hour of the race was unknown territory.

Beyond the test bench, they had not been able to experience the reality of the race and the need to compete in it.

However, it seems that there was something that impacted the race even more. The stubbornness and tradition of the Japanese versus the Latin -Italian- flexibility. While that Japanese rigidity and perseverance bring great value, when a few seconds separate you from victory; you have to reconsider the strategy and adapt to the one that brings you closer to the top spot.

Lessons Learned from Le Mans 2023: Applications to the World of Software

? The goals are not always the obvious ones. The individual or brand victory, which is always crossing the finish line first, can be a higher goal than achieving the first position on the podium. That is, in some teams, it seems that the correct question to understand their motivations is:

Who's paying for the party?

? Mistakes occur, the difference lies in how they are addressed. Specifically, the LMP2 champion seems to have suffered the loss of communication with the Pit, losing radio contact. Surely it was not the mishap they expected to suffer, but when it happened, they resorted to the tried-and-true mechanism, the analog one, they used a chalkboard and it was just a scare.

? Never underestimate the option to restart. That was Ferrari's solution to some error they detected in the vehicles. A couple of resets throughout the race and they were on their way to victory.

? Flexibility versus organization. This is one of the things that usually differentiate small teams or startups from large organizations. And a lower aversion to risk from the former is what enables more outrageous projects to come to light and succeed.

? Real data for testing. It's not the same on the test bench, or assessing yourself running against yourself on a track, as it is to subject the prototype to the actual incidents of a race. I am convinced that neither Porsche AG nor Peugeot expected so many incidents; on the contrary, a more experienced and resource-limited Cadillac won the game.

The lessons from the 2023 Le Mans race show us that in any team, whether on the race track or in software development, clear communication, flexibility, agile problem-solving, and understanding each individual's roles are essential for team success. Just as in racing, where both long-term strategies and quick decisions on the spot are needed, these skills are also needed in software development. Ferrari's victory reminds us that even in the world of software, sometimes we need to restart, be creative, and remember the team's objectives and the need to achieve victory together.