From Abu Dhabi to Imola: A2RL Expands Internationally with Historic Autonomous Racing Debut at Iconic Italian Track

The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, A2RL, will make its international racing debut on 5 September 2026 in Imola, Italy, bringing up to 5 fully autonomous racecars based on the Dallara Super Formula SF23 to one of the world’s most iconic and demanding racing circuits.

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Organized by ASPIRE, the grand challenges arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council, A2RL has quickly evolved from a bold public testbed for AI under extreme race conditions into a competitive racing series. The upcoming Imola race marks a major step in its global expansion, following two breakthrough seasons at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and opening the championship’s first international chapter before it returns to the UAE capital for the 2026 season finale.

Reigning A2RL champion TUM (Germany) will compete alongside Unimore Racing (Italy) and PoliMOVE (Italy) in Imola, having qualified through their performances during the 2025 season. Two additional teams, Kinetiz (UAE) and Constructor Racing (Germany), will compete in qualification events ahead of race weekend for the remaining spots on the grid.

H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council, said: “A2RL began in Abu Dhabi with a clear conviction: the future of mobility must be tested openly, rigorously and at the limits of performance. Its international debut at Imola demonstrates how the UAE is translating bold R&D ambition into globally relevant technology platforms that can accelerate progress in autonomous mobility.”

Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, said: “Taking A2RL to Imola is a major milestone in our ambition to build the world’s first international championship for fully autonomous racecars. Few circuits carry the heritage and global standing of Imola, making it a powerful stage for our first international race. This is an important step for autonomous motorsport as both a technology platform and an emerging global sporting format.”

Building on two breakthrough seasons in Abu Dhabi, A2RL has evolved from a world-first four-car autonomous race into a six-car Grand Final featuring wheel-to-wheel racing at more than 250 km/h. The league has also become a defining platform for Human vs AI competition, with the performance gap between autonomous systems and professional drivers shrinking dramatically from 10 seconds in 2024 to just 1.58 seconds in 2025. Alongside the on-track progress, A2RL has built a growing global audience and strengthened Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for autonomous mobility and AI innovation.

Imola: A True Test of Autonomous Race craft

Home to The European Le Mans Series, the Imola circuit is known for its elevation challenges, narrow racing lines with limited run-off areas and difficult overtaking zones. Its technical corners and narrow margins will test how autonomous systems manage grip, traffic, positioning and overtaking under constant pressure. For competing teams, the event represents a highly demanding competitive environment where performance will depend on the precision of software, sensor integration, engineering strategy, and real-time autonomous decision-making.

Alessandro Tucci, Executive Director, House of Grand Challenges at ASPIRE, said: “Imola is the perfect testbed for the top A2RL teams to demonstrate their racing capabilities on an extremely challenging track. Imola does not allow for half-measures. It rewards precision, control and courage, which makes it the right circuit for autonomous racing to show what it can do under real pressure. Every car on track carries the work of engineers and coders pushing AI from simulation into real competition.”

From Sim Sprint to the Circuit

Before testing on the Imola Circuit in August, teams will prepare through A2RL’s virtual racing ecosystem, with the Sim Sprint series running from 19 May to 17 July across high fidelity digital twins of Yas Marina, the A2RL Autodrome, Suzuka, and Imola, before concluding on the Yas Marina North Circuit, the home of the A2RL Grand Final. During the prior season, Sim Sprint delivered more than 5,000 hours of collective simulation testing and racing across 11 teams. The platform provides teams with a controlled environment to develop and validate their algorithms ahead of real-world autonomous competition. Across the series, teams will face multi-car racing, overtakes, incident response scenarios and edge cases that are difficult to replicate safely on track. By giving teams more competitive mileage before Imola, Sim Sprint helps prepare AI systems for the speed, pressure and unpredictability of live autonomous racing.

Engaging Italy’s Motorsport and Engineering Ecosystem

Ahead of the race, A2RL engaged Italy’s motorsport, engineering and academic communities through Motor Valley Fest and a series of university roadshows. As part of this engagement, A2RL executives participated in the programme at Motor Valley Fest, the Modena-based event celebrating Emilia-Romagna’s automotive industry, where an A2RL Super Formula car was displayed on the Imola stand. The roadshow included the University of Bologna, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and Politecnico di Milano, introducing students to A2RL’s technology, its role as a high-speed AI testbed, and future pathways for teams, engineers and coders to join the series. This initiative reflects A2RL’s broader mission to connect frontier AI research with the next generation of talent.

Following Imola, A2RL will return to Yas Marina Circuit, bringing the series back to the UAE’s capital where high-stakes autonomous racing moved from concept to competitive reality. The Abu Dhabi event will conclude the 2026 season, bringing the championship full circle from its birthplace to its first international race and back again. As the home of A2RL since its launch in 2024, Yas Marina Circuit remains the benchmark venue for the league’s continued evolution and growth.

The 2026 series is made possible with the support of SteerAI, alongside leading partners AD Ports and du Infra; official partners AWS, Abu Dhabi Mobility and Abu Dhabi Gaming; official supporters HP and Castore; technical partners PACETEQ and Live in Five.

*Source: AETOSWire

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