WORLD FIRST: AUTONOMOUS RACING LEAPS FORWARD IN ABU DHABI AS A2RL SEASON 2 SHOWCASES RECORD SPEED, BOLD OVERTAKES AND REAL-TIME AI DECISION-MAKING

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- 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 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.