The world’s largest autonomous car race is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on 15 November, where 11 international teams will compete at the intersection of robotics, autonomy and AI for a $2.25m prize pool. Season 2 of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), 18 months in the making, will see the six fastest teams from a demanding qualification process advance to the Grand Final. Tickets for the Yas Marina Circuit event have once again reached full capacity in the main grandstand, reflecting strong public and industry interest in a race that showcases autonomous performance at the highest level.
Grand Final: A first in AI racing
The A2RL Grand Final will mark the first time six fully autonomous racecars compete wheel-to-wheel on a live track. The finalist teams – TUM, Unimore, Kinetiz, TII Racing, PoliMOVE, and Constructor – secured their spots following an intensive qualification round in October. Representing Germany, Italy and the UAE, they will compete in a 20-lap, multi-car race to determine the Season 2 champion. Reigning champions TUM will start from pole position after a closely fought ‘Multi-Car Qualification’ sprint race against rivals Unimore, setting up a highly anticipated showdown.
Teams that did not progress to the final will compete in the Silver Race, designed to allow RAPSON, Code 19, Fly Eagle, FR4IAV and TGM Grand Prix to further test, refine and push their AI algorithms under competitive conditions.
Human vs AI: A narrowing gap
Pre-season preparations have demonstrated significant advancement in AI racing capability, with the performance gap between machine and human drivers narrowing rapidly. During testing, Italian team Unimore became the first to beat a benchmark lap time set by a professional human racing driver.
This progression will be highlighted on race day as reigning champions TUM compete against former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat in A2RL’s second Human vs AI showcase – an exhibition expected to deliver one of the event’s closest battles yet.
Supercar showcase and STEM innovation
The evening programme will begin with a Supercar Parade Laps showcase by Group 63, followed by the A2RL STEM Competition awards ceremony. This year’s STEM initiative engaged 140 students from across all seven Emirates, who competed using AWS DeepRacer 1/18th-scale autonomous cars, mirroring A2RL’s autonomous racing format.
The Fan Zone will return with an expanded experience, featuring humanoid robot demonstrations, tech activations, interactive games, live performances and family-friendly activities designed to extend the excitement of autonomous innovation beyond the racetrack.
Global broadcast
The A2RL Grand Final will be broadcast worldwide on Sunday, 16 November at 3pm GST via Abu Dhabi Media Network, StarzPlay, Motorsport TV and the official A2RL YouTube channel. Fans can also experience the race through A2RL’s immersive VR platform, offering real-time access to the circuit, live car data and high-speed action.
A2RL is supported by SteerAI, alongside leading partner du; official partners AWS and Abu Dhabi Mobility; official supporters Wio and Castore; technical partners PACETEQ, Live in Five, Meccanica 42, and Vislink; and event partners Abu Dhabi Gaming, Miral and the UAE Cybersecurity Council.
