Germany's TUM Wins Historic A2RL Grand Final As Ai Racing Breaks Boundaries

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) delivered a major milestone for autonomous mobility after six driverless racecars competed in a world-first Grand Final at Yas Marina Circuit, where Germany’s TUM retained its championship title.

TUM finished ahead of TII Racing of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Italy’s PoliMOVE in a 20-lap race marked by record speeds, high-precision overtakes and rapid artificial intelligence (AI) decision-making. Eleven international teams competed for a US$2.25 million prize pool, alongside a Human vs AI showdown featuring former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat. (US$1 = RM4.15)

In a statement, A2RL said the race opened with a close battle between TUM and Italy’s Unimore, which briefly captured the lead before a collision with Germany’s Constructor’s car forced both vehicles off track, handing the advantage back to TUM. Unimore secured the Fastest Lap Award despite the incident.

Winners were presented their trophies by senior UAE officials, including members of the Abu Dhabi royal family and representatives of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). The league was established to accelerate breakthroughs in autonomous systems by placing AI-driven vehicles under competitive pressure.

Now in its second season, A2RL has reported significant progress, with autonomous cars closing the performance gap with human drivers. Recent qualifying rounds saw AI vehicles match and surpass human benchmark lap times, a marked improvement from Season 1.

The Grand Final brought together six teams — TUM, Unimore, Kinetiz (UAE), TII Racing, PoliMOVE and Constructor — making it the largest autonomous race ever staged. The event also included a Human vs Machine showcase where Kvyat set a best lap of 57.57 seconds, narrowly ahead of TUM’s AI system HAILEY by 1.58 seconds, reflecting rapid advances in AI racecraft.

A2RL also hosted a parallel STEM Competition involving more than 140 students from across the UAE. Using 1/18th-scale autonomous cars, the programme aimed to build youth skills in autonomy and AI. UAE University won the University League category, while SABIS – Ras Al Khaimah claimed the High Schools title.

The Grand Final formed the highlight of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week (ADAW), a six-day gathering featuring summits, exhibitions and robotics showcases. The event attracted over 8,000 spectators at the North Grandstand.

A2RL Season 2 was supported by SteerAI and major partners including du infra, AD Ports Group, AWS and Abu Dhabi Mobility, along with industry supporters and technology collaborators from across the region.

-- BERNAMA