Mega-failures of the first Formula 1-style autonomous car race

The weekend just past marked a major milestone in world sport as the race was staged in style for the first time. Formula 1 with autonomous cars controlled by artificial intelligence.

The German team TUM (Technical University of Munich) won the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), which took place on Saturday, April 27 at the Yas Marina Circuit. As cars lined up on the starting grid with their antennas, sensors, artificial intelligence capabilities and electronic control systems in place of human drivers, eight teams competed against each other over two days of racing and competition. TUM triumphed with its coding and engineering skills in the world’s first four-car finals race and took home its share of the $2.25 million prize.

An on-track science experiment, the first race pushed the boundaries of autonomous technology while adding entertainment value to extreme sports on an unprecedented scale. The A2RL attracted over 10,000 spectators to the track and attracted the attention of over 600,000 internet users in just 12 hours. Hosted by ASPIRE, an affiliate of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), A2RL combines extreme autonomous racing and artificial intelligence to accelerate the global development of autonomous systems and technologies.

After months of rigorous preparation to refine driving algorithms using artificial intelligence in simulations, A2RL’s special Dallara Super Formula SF23 cars tested the limits of human ingenuity and the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Each team used one of the identical Super Formula cars (the world’s fastest open-wheel racing car after Formula 1), adapted for autonomous racing by the Technological Innovation Institute (TII), a subsidiary of ASPIRE.

On the final lap, the German team TUM took first place thanks to a daring overtake when the leading Italian team UNIMORE slowed down and stopped on the track. The team was congratulated on the track by His Highness Theab bin Mohamed bin Zayed, who presented the championship trophy, along with His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, ATRC Secretary General and Advisor for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology to the President of the UAE. .

Simon Hoffmann, Team Manager, said: “It was an extraordinary event and the final was a defining moment for us. We are absolutely pleased with the result; This speaks volumes about our collective engineering prowess, our coding expertise, and our determination. “This is a testament to the incredible power of artificial intelligence to advance the future of autonomous mobility.”

A2RL has integrated mixed and virtual reality elements for the first time in autonomous racing. It gave each of the eight finalist teams a unique avatar and incorporated cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology before Formula 1 was introduced, sparking enthusiasm from fans both online and in person. Fans attending the event at the Yas Marina Circuit were able to enjoy, among other things, interesting STEM workshops, intriguing virtual reality challenges, Gran Turismo simulators, painted cars and the Raceum artificial intelligence museum. The first event ended with a spectacular fireworks display and drones that lit up the famous Yas Marina Circuit.

Mega Race Failures

But not everything was smooth sailing: the pioneering race suffered several serious setbacks.

For example, in this race, one of the AI-controlled cars realized that it had neither the speed nor the space to overtake its opponent at the end of the long backstretch, but finished. hitting him from behind and causing confusion for both.

Kvyat’s AI is well trained in torpedo technology #A2RLMoment #A2RL #ASPIREUAE pic.twitter.com/3QMmJG6fqW

— JuanFran (@JFranF1) April 27, 2024

The end also saw how the leading team, the Italian UNIMORE, stopped just seconds from crossing the finish line, allowing the Germans from TUM to take the victory.

I’ll tell my kids this was Abu Dhabi 2021. #A2RL pic.twitter.com/lB7CpP6NL2

— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) April 28, 2024

The following teams took part first:

• Fly Eagle (China and United Arab Emirates);
• Code19 Racing (USA);
• University Constructor (Germany);
• Kinetz (Singapore and United Arab Emirates);
• Humda Lab (Hungary);
• Polimove (Italy);
• Unimore (Italy);
• TUM (Germany).