It’s not every weekend you watch a motor race where not a single driver touches a steering wheel — mostly because the cars don’t have one.
But this weekend, the Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) returns to Yas
Marina with an entire grid of AI-controlled, Super Formula–based single-seaters ready to battle over 20 laps of pure code-versus-code chaos.
Just watching six driverless cars racing only using the power of AI 🤯#A2RL #AutonomousRacing #RaceToInnovate pic.twitter.com/elCv7uqB8x
— Autosport (@autosport) November 15, 2025
Eighteen months after its bizarre, brilliant debut, the Abu Dhabi-born series is back for Season Two. Six teams have earned their place on the grid, all chasing a slice of the $2.25 million prize pool, and all hoping their AI ‘drivers’ have learned enough since the inaugural race.
What Exactly Is A2RL?
Launched two years ago by ASPIRE, an Abu Dhabi innovation arm, A2RL set out to merge hardcore motorsport engineering with cutting-edge artificial intelligence. The result: a racing series using modified Super Formula SF23 chassis, stripped of cockpits and steering wheels and packed instead with sensors, processors, and highly trained AI “stacks” acting as drivers.
Nothing to see here, just some driverless Super Formula cars heading out to the Yas Marina Circuit for a few hours of testing 🤯#A2RL #AutonomousRacing #RaceToInnovate pic.twitter.com/brwZo3NN1k
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) November 14, 2025
In the first season, 10 teams from universities and research institutes globally lined up at Yas Marina, with their autonomous creations showing bursts of brilliance and moments of absolute hilarity.
Cars swerved for no reason, froze behind opponents, or spun out in straight lines. Spectacular? Yes. Predictable? Absolutely not.
After 18 months of refinement, data-crunching, and debugging, A2RL believes the machines are finally ready for a more polished fight.
Who’s Racing This Time?
Six teams have booked their ticket to Saturday’s Grand Final:
TUM, Unimore, Kinetiz, TII Racing, PoliMOVE, and Constructor.
Reigning champions TUM grabbed pole after edging rivals Unimore in a fierce Multi-Car Qualification sprint.
The rest — RAPSON, Code 19, Fly Eagle, FR4IAV, and TGM Grand Prix — will fight it out in a “Silver Race” to determine final classification.
The race will once again stream globally on A2RL’s official YouTube channel on 15 November.
