A2RL Grand Final: Autonomous Racing Redefines AI in Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) delivered a defining moment for autonomous technology as six fully driverless racecars pushed the limits of AI performance in a world-first Grand Final at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. On a night of record speed, bold overtakes, and split-second AI decision-making, Germany’s TUM cemented its dominance by retaining the championship title, with TII Racing (UAE) taking second place and PoliMOVE (Italy) securing third. Eleven international teams battled for a $2.25 million prize pool. At the same time, a Human vs AI showdown featuring former F1 star Daniil Kvyat showed just how dramatically the race, and the autonomous racing technology behind it, has advanced since Season 1.
From the moment the race began, Unimore (Italy) immediately put polesitters TUM under pressure, using their own record-setting pace to catch and overtake them for the lead in Turn 6 before the end of the second lap. Over the next ten laps, the duo continued to battle at speeds of over 250 km/h, with less than a second between them throughout as AI race strategies unfolded in real time. At the halfway stage of the 20-lap race, the pair still ran within half a second of one another as they closed in on the back of the pack. When Unimore went for an overtake on sixth-placed Constructor (Germany), they collided with the rear of the car mid corner, sending both vehicles off track and handing the lead back to TUM, who then controlled the pace to the flag and sealed victory in this landmark driverless car race. Unimore claimed the Fastest Lap Award throughout the competition, underscoring the raw performance potential of its autonomous vehicle.
His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Vice-Chairman of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club and Chairman of the UAE Marine Sports Federation, and His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President and Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council, presented trophies and medals to the winners of the A2RL Grand Final, highlighting Abu Dhabi’s growing status as a global hub for advanced mobility and AI innovation.
H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, who envisioned A2RL, said: “A2RL shows what happens when bold ambition meets scientific discipline. It is more than a race - it is a testbed accelerating the future of autonomous systems while building public trust in the technologies that will soon move through our cities, skies and industries. What unfolded on track reflects the power of global talent, rigorous research, and the UAE’s conviction that breakthroughs happen faster when you invite the world to innovate with you.”
Prof. Markus Lienkamp, Team Principal at TUM, said: “We expected a tight battle with Unimore behind us from the beginning. They have been getting faster and faster in every test session, especially on cold tyres. We expected they’d overtake us on lap two, and then we would get closer as our tyres warmed up. Of course, we hoped to see action with Unimore all the way to the end. Still, regardless of what we have shown tonight, it is the rapid improvement and professional capability of the teams in this championship that have enabled such a close battle in front of the crowd tonight.”
Marko Bertogna, Team Principal, Unimore Racing, said: “I was very, very happy with the performance that we showed, our speed, the overtake, all showed the professional level that we have reached. Even a human racing driver would not have been able to avoid the collision we had, so this is just the nature of high-performance racing. I’m pleased about the technological result, but of course less happy about the final result.”
In only its second season, A2RL and its participating teams have shown significant progress at the crossroads of motorsport, mobility, and AI, turning Yas Marina Circuit into a live laboratory for autonomous vehicle technology. Many describe A2RL as “science in the public domain”, and the series accelerates the development of high-performance autonomous racing systems by placing them under extreme competitive pressure in front of a live crowd and global audience.
Intensive qualifying in recent weeks saw AI-driven racecars not only close the gap to human benchmark lap times but surpass them, moving from minutes behind to mere fractions of a second ahead. The Grand Final set a new benchmark as the largest autonomous race in the world, featuring six teams: TUM, Unimore, Kinetiz (UAE), TII Racing, PoliMOVE and Constructor, lining up in that order on the starting grid. Together, they demonstrated how cutting-edge algorithms, sensor fusion, and real-time data processing now deliver reliable, repeatable performance at racing speeds.
In a Man vs Machine showcase that embodied the spirit of modern motorsport, former Formula 1 racer Daniil Kvyat took on the champion’s AI driver. Daniil Kvyat felt stunned by the progress teams had made since he last went head-to-head with an AI driver during a 2024 A2RL exhibition in Japan. This time, he returned to the track alongside reigning champion TUM’s autonomous car HAILEY. Beginning from a rolling start with a 10-second gap, Kvyat received just ten laps to hunt down his AI competitor. Kvyat set his best lap at 57.57 seconds, while HAILEY recorded its best lap at 59.15 seconds, leaving just 1.58 seconds between them, a dramatic shift from the 10-second gulf just 18 months ago and a clear sign that AI in racing continues to catch up fast. The showcase finished with the duo roaring across the line in close succession, to the delight of fans in the grandstand and of viewers worldwide following the Abu Dhabi autonomous racing story.
Daniil Kvyat commented, “Looking back to when A2RL development first began a couple of years ago, with perhaps minutes between a human driver and the AI car, down to 10 seconds in our first showcase last year, and now we are seeing performance within fractions of a second – the technology progress is staggering. As a technology enthusiast and a racer, it’s fantastic to be a part of this development since the beginning. Being on track with an AI driver is unlike anything else, and it was fun to bring an exciting battle to the fans this evening.”
Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the ATRC entity driving A2RL, commented: “Congratulations to TUM on a remarkable win. This Grand Final proved exactly why A2RL exists: to push the boundaries of autonomous technology through real competition. In just 18 months, teams have gone from standing still to delivering human-beating lap times and mastering complex overtakes - progress that can take years. By combining virtual SIM Sprints with extensive real-world testing, they’ve unlocked capabilities that will influence far more than racing. My thanks to all eleven teams for showing what true innovation under pressure looks like.”
Alongside the main autonomous racing competition, A2RL also hosted a STEM Competition that ran in parallel and extended the impact of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week into classrooms and labs across the UAE. Over 140 students from all seven Emirates participated in an educational programme that culminated in racing 1/18th-scale DeepRacer autonomous cars, mirroring the main A2RL format on a smaller scale and giving young people hands-on experience with AI in mobility. The initiative aims to inspire and enable the next generation of autonomy and AI specialists, equipping them with new skills and practical knowledge that support the UAE’s broader innovation agenda. This year, the winner of the University League was ‘UAE University’, while ‘SABIS - Ras Al Khaimah’ claimed the High Schools title.
This year’s A2RL Grand Final capped the first-ever Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week (ADAW). This six-day event brought together researchers and industry experts across a series of high-profile summits, exhibitions, and events focused on autonomous systems and smart mobility. ADAW includes the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, DRIFTx Exhibition, and RoboCup Asia-Pacific, which together showcase robotics, AI, and autonomous solutions that stretch far beyond the racetrack into real-world transport, logistics, and urban mobility.
Over 8,000 spectators attended A2RL Season 2, filling the North Grandstand and reinforcing the growing public appetite for autonomous racing and AI-enhanced motorsport. SteerAI supports the series, alongside leading partners du infra and AD Ports Group, official partners AWS and Abu Dhabi Mobility, official supporters WIO Bank PHSC, Exxon Mobil and Castore, technical partners PACETEQ, Live in Five, Meccanica 42, and Vislink, as well as event partners Abu Dhabi Gaming, Miral - Yas Island, and the UAE Cybersecurity Council. Together, they help A2RL push the boundaries of autonomous racing technology in Abu Dhabi while building a global platform for future-ready mobility innovation.
