Abu Dhabi hosts world’s first six-car autonomous Grand Final

The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) delivered a defining moment for autonomous technology as six fully driverless race cars pushed the limits of AI performance in a world-first Grand Final at Yas Marina Circuit.

In a night marked by record speed, bold overtakes, and split-second AI decision-making, Germany’s TUM cemented its dominance by retaining the championship title, followed by TII Racing (UAE) in second place, and PoliMOVE (Italy) in third.

With eleven international teams battling for a $2.25 million prize pool and a Human vs AI showdown featuring former F1 star Daniil Kvyat, the event showcased just how dramatically the race - and the technology behind it - has advanced since Season 1.

From the moment the race began, polesitters TUM were under pressure from Unimore (Italy), who showcased 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 course of the next ten laps, the duo continued to battle at speeds of over 250 km/h, with less than a second between them throughout.

At the half-way stage of the 20-lap race, the pair were within half a second of one another as they met the back of the pack. Going for the overtake on sixth place Constructor (Germany), Unimore collided with the rear of the car mid corner, sending both cars off track and handing the lead back to TUM who then carried through to victory.

Unimore claimed the Fastest Lap Award through the duration of the competition.

Trophies and medals were presented to the winners of the A2RL Grand Final by Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 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 Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President and Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council.

"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," said Al Bannai.

From the six-car autonomous Grand Final to the intensity of the Silver Race battles, and the Human vs AI showcase with Daniil Kvyat, Season 2 gave us a night to remember. pic.twitter.com/uMDWqmxKlF

— Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (@A2RLeague) November 17, 2025

Man vs Machine: Daniil Kvyat takes on Champion’s AI driver

Former Formula 1 racer Daniil Kvyat was 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 was on track with reigning champion TUM’s autonomous car HAILEY. Beginning from a rolling start with a 10 second gap, Kvyat was given just ten laps to hunt down his AI competitor.

Kvyat marked 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 is catching up fast.

The showcase ended with the duo roaring across the line in close succession, much to the delight of fans in the grandstand.

"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," said Kvyat.

A2RL also hosted a STEM Competition in parallel to the main competition. Over 140 students from across all seven Emirates participated in an educational programme that culminated in racing DeepRacer 1/18th-scale autonomous cars, a mirror of the A2RL competition.

It aims to inspire and enable the next generation of autonomy and AI specialists, equipping them with new skills and experience. 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 was the capstone to the first-ever Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week (ADAW), a six-day event bringing together researchers and industry experts across a series of high-profile summits, exhibitions, and events. ADAW includes the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, DRIFTx Exhibition, and RoboCup Asia-Pacific.