This F1 team runs on Microsoft Excel

One of the most interesting stories I read this week was the one where a Formula 1 team was still using Microsoft Excel for the team's car-building process.

Yes, you read that right... Microsoft Excel.

The team's entire car-building process was reportedly so inefficient that even when the design was done in good time, disorganized parts management meant the 2024 car was just a pile of parts with just three weeks until testing. Some of this was down to how Williams kept inventory—in a monster of an Excel spreadsheet.

The Williams F1 team, a legacy name in the sport with 47 years under its belt, has been navigating the complexities of building one of the world's most advanced machines with the help of a tool most of us use for budgeting or tracking our workouts.

Of course, any of us that have worked in a corporate environment know that a lot of the world is uses it.

But in the the high-octane world of Formula 1, where cutting-edge technology and billion-dollar businesses collide on the racetrack, it seems almost unthinkable that the backbone of one team's operations hinges on.

Under the new leadership of team principal James Vowles and CTO Pat Fry, Williams embarked on a mission in early 2023 to revamp their entire car design and construction process.

Their goal?

To better keep up in the current F1 arms race, both technologically and operationally. But they hit an unexpected speed bump: a massive Excel spreadsheet detailing around 20,000 parts of their car, described by Vowles as "impossible to navigate and update."

It sounds an awful lot like trying to assemble a spaceship with instructions written on a napkin.

This spreadsheet saga isn't just a quirky anecdote; it's a stark illustration of how even the most advanced organizations can get tangled in the web of legacy systems. Williams' tale is a microcosm of a broader theme across industries, where the allure of familiar tools can stifle innovation and efficiency. The team's reliance on Excel for such a critical part of their operation highlights a reluctance to let go of the devil you know, despite the clear limitations and risks involved.

The implications of sticking with this outdated method were tangible: missed pre-season testing in 2019, parts lost in the abyss of their factory, and the prioritization of the wrong components. The shift to a modern tracking system, while costly, was necessary, not just for the sake of efficiency but for the safety of the drivers pushing these machines to their limits.

Not an Uncommon Occurrence

In 2017, Sebastian Anthony was on assignment with the Renault team for Ars Technica. He found that the Excel spreadsheet Renault used for the design and build process was 77,000 lines long — triple what Vowles found at Williams.

I remember reading an article in 2013 in Forbes that made the notion that Excel could be "the most dangerous software on the planet." I wonder if James Vowles and Pat Fry finally got around to checking it out.

Williams' story is a cautionary tale. It reminds us that innovation is just as much about how you create something as it is what you create. In a sport defined by milliseconds and millimeters, relying on outdated tools isn't just inefficient; it's a competitive disadvantage.

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