The 2026 season of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League began in early 2026 with the Autonomous Drone Race, and will end at an unknown date with the Autonomous Car Race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Background
Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League The A2RL is an autonomous racing championship based in Abu Dhabi and organized by ASPIRE, part of the Advanced Technology Research Council. It is one of two active autonomous car racing championships, the second being the US-based Indy Autonomous Challenge. However, it was a shame fans were unable to follow the live stream on YouTube as promised. Unlike the IAC, which primarily focuses on time trials and simulated races, the A2RL's car races are closer to a standard grand prix formula race format. Both use Dallara-supplied racecars; the IAC uses the AV-24 chassis derived from Indy NXT's IL-15, while the A2RL chassis is designated EAV-24 and is derived from the SF-23 chassis used in Japanese Super Formula races.
Entrants +2026 A2RL Car Race Entry ListTeam name2025 sprint qualifying2025 resultNotes Technical University of MunichP1P1Two-time Champion PoliMOVEP5P32024 Pole-sitter UNIMORE RacingP2DNF2024 Fastest Lap TII RacingP4P2Partner team Constructor UniversityP6DNF KinetizP3P42025 SIM Sprint Champion HUMDA LabDNQDNQ Code19 RacingDNQDNQ Fly EagleDNQDNQ TGM Grand Prix/SEVRUS JapanDNQDNQ MBUZAIN/AN/ARookie team DARCN/AN/ARookie team
Drone race
Race report The drone race occurred in April 2026 at the ADNEC Marina Hall.
Human VS AI Challenge
Final podiums PositionAI vs Human ChallengeMulti-drone raceAutonomous drag race Minchan Kim MAVLAB MAVLAB TII Racing TII Racing TII Racing MAVLAB Kinetiz Kinetiz
Car race
SIM Sprint
SIM Sprint standings +Current SIM sprint standingsPosTeamR1R2R3R4R5PtsSRFRSRFRSRFRSRFRSRFR1 TUM982 Kinetiz943 Constructor University904 PoliMOVE885 UNIMORE Racing776 TII Racing517 Fly Eagle318 DARC319 Code19 Racing4NC HUMDA Lab0NC MBUZAI0NC TGM Grand Prix/SEVRUS Japan0
ACI Racing Weekend
Qualifying results +Qualifying results for the ACI-A2RL racePositionCar nameTeamBest timeTIme differenceP1Gianna UNIMORE Racing1:37.314Pole positionP2Eva PoliMOVE1:38.398 +1.084P3Hailey TUM1:39.060 +1.647P4Sparkz Kinetiz1:40.250 +2.966P5Constructor AI Constructor University1:41.278 +3.946
Race results +Finishing order for the A2RL-ACI Imola RaceFinal positionNo.Car nameTeamLapsRace timeGap to winnerNotesP13Sparkz Kinetiz1225:23.735P28Constructor AI Constructor University1225:34.698 +10.963DNF5Eva PoliMOVE915:38.225 +3 lapsRetired (rear-ended Gianna)DNF6Gianna UNIMORE Racing915:41.623 +3 lapsRetired (sudden stop; rear-ended); 5-second time penalty (stopping on track); Fastest LapDNS33Hailey TUM0No timeN/A
Qualifying
Qualifying report TBA
Qualifying results TBA
Main race
Race report TBA
Final race classification TBA
References