UAE: How racing teams are giving self-driving cars 'personality' ahead of grand final

As the second season of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) prepares to roar into life on Saturday, it’s not just speed that will determine the victor — it’s character.

“We wanted each car to have a specific driving personality,” said Nicola Palarchi, Head of Engineering at Y2RL (the A2RL’s engineering and test partner), during a media briefing. “Some are more aggressive, others better at braking or acceleration.”

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That idea of personality-coding brings a human dimension to machines: teams aren’t just programming sensors and algorithms; they’re crafting how a car behaves under pressure, when to overtake, how to defend.

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Palarchi explained that “you have to make a bet. Set your driver to push at the correct level — not too much or you’ll go off, not too little or you’ll be overtaken.” The “driver” being an AI, but the decision rooted in human strategy.

This weekend’s Grand Final is set to feature six fully autonomous cars racing head-to-head for the first time in the world, according to organisers. The finalists — TUM, Unimore, Kinetiz, TII Racing, PoliMOVE and Constructor — represent Germany, Italy, and the UAE, while five additional teams (RAPSON, Code 19, Fly Eagle, FR4IAV, and TGM Grand Prix) will race in the Silver Race.

The autonomous cars will compete for a US $2.25 million prize, with full-capacity grandstands at Yas Marina Circuit. 

Beyond competition, the event serves as a live lab for autonomous mobility — “the world’s leading extreme autonomous racing series", as organisers describe it. “Last year a lot of the cars could drive around slowly at 20–30 km/hr; now they’re not far off what a human would do,” Palarchi added. The leap in performance underlines the stakes.

With such rapid progression, this weekend’s race is expected to challenge assumptions: can strategy and character in code beat brute speed? The race may not simply be about which car crosses the line first, but which team best humanised (so to speak) its AI.

Teams say the challenge is open. “Every team gave a specific character to the car,” Palarchi added. And on Saturday, that personality will meet a field of rivals — and Elena Martínez-García, the Athlone-based data scientist, anticipates “some may choose risk, others consistency".

Adding to the excitement, A2RL’s Season 2 Grand Final will also feature the Human vs AI exhibition between Daniil Kvyat and the reigning champions TUM, alongside a Supercar Parade, a STEM competition for 140 students, and a world-class Fan Zone with interactive robotics and family attractions.

• Abu Dhabi

Haneen Dajani

haneen@khaleejtimes.com

Haneen Dajani is special correspondent in Abu Dhabi with over 15 years of reporting experience. She’s also a passionate athlete, full Ironman finisher, and mountaineer who loves to embark on unusual challenges.