ASPIRE's Stephane Timpano On A2RL's Upcoming 2025 Season

With the second season of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) slated to happen on April 26, 2025, at Yas Marina Circuit in the UAE capital, Inc. Arabia spoke to Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the innovation acceleration arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) that is staging the global event, to learn more about this new race.

A2RL's first race in April 2024 brought eight Super Formula cars together on the track, marking a major milestone in autonomous racing technology. Now, A2RL returns with the addition of four new international teams as well as the reveal of an upgraded Dallara built Super Formula Emirates Autonomous Vehicle (EAV24) designed to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) in motorsport. Competitors will race for a share of the impressive US$2.25 million prize pool.

Speaking to us at GITEX Global 2024, Timpano pointed out, "This time, it’s more than just autonomous vehicles competing. We’re racing in front of 150,000 spectators, where a professional driver, Daniel Cariap, will compete against a machine.” 

Looking back on the origins of A2RL, Timpano shared how it all began with an idea to "use the racing environment and the Formula One-like setting to test autonomous technologies. and to prove to the world that autonomy is progressing in a meaningful direction." 

“A2RL has many implications," he added. "First, it helps convince people that autonomy is valuable for mobility. Today, people are hesitant about autonomous cars, but in the future, as urban environments grow, autonomy will be one of the key solutions to meet these needs."

Check out more of what Timpano had to say in the full video above!