Kinetiz claims inaugural title by just 4 points, beating out rival TUM for top spot
All teams demonstrated significant technical progress in driving algorithm development
A2RL governance tested by ingenuity, leading to a much-evolved ruleset for November’s real-world finale
Abu Dhabi, UAE- 24, Sep 2025: The inaugural A2RL SIM-Sprint series has concluded after its fourth race, with Kinetiz claiming overall victory. The virtual autonomous racing series pushed the teams’ AI drivers to the limit at three different racetracks, including Suzuka, Yas Marina Circuit, and a unique, purpose-built virtual track, Autonodrome.
The Kinetiz team finished with 78 points, narrowly beating rival – and A2RL Season 1 winner – TUM by just 4 points. Unimore Racing and PoliMOVE rounded out the top four, separated by just one point. They were followed by Constructor Racing and TII Racing.
Accelerated technical developmentA2RL SIM-Sprint series with four races was created to accelerate the development of driving algorithms and refine sporting regulations ahead of the real-world A2RL race on 15 November 2025. The four virtual races provided teams with a broad range of challenges and “edge cases” to push their algorithms to the limit in a safe and accessible environment. This has set them up for greater success in November, when their algorithms will pilot the EAV-25 autonomous racecars at up to 300km/h around Yas Marina Circuit.
Governance: Teams’ lateral thinking tests evolving ruleset Over all four races of A2RL SIM-Sprint, teams continued to embrace the motorsport mindset of proactively identifying gaps in the ruleset to deliver competitive advantage. From cutting corners to collisions, the teams tested – and broke – the newly-created governance system. For example, the final round saw penalties imposed for collisions and real-time investigations by the stewards. There were also official protests and reviews of a notable incident between Kinetiz and TUM, requiring fair and analytical consideration of a high-stakes decision.
Over the course of A2RL SIM-Sprint, the ruleset evolved through five different iterations, mitigating potential issues and promoting fairness. This evolution was grounded in the “spirit” of the competition and racing with respect, a factor that will be even more important for the real-world race in November.
Alexander Winkler, Head of Sporting at A2RL, commented: “We are extremely proud of A2RL SIM-Sprint; it has been an immense success, and certainly not without its challenges. From the outset, we had to build a world-class autonomous racing simulation platform, secure team engagement, and launch an all-new virtual competition. The result was a robust and fiercely competitive series that has become a genuine reference point for A2RL’s future, accelerating both AI development and our sporting framework. Congratulations to Kinetiz and all participating teams for the remarkable progress made across the four rounds.”
Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE (the organizers of A2RL), commented: “The team at A2RL have done a fantastic job in building SIM-Sprint from the ground up in mere months. It has enabled the level of competition to grow sharper and better prepared the teams for wheel-to-wheel action around Yas Marina Circuit in November. Congratulations to all the teams involved for approaching this new competition with an open mind and exceptional engineering creativity – together we are pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology.”
Images of SIM-Sprint are available to download here: https://we.tl/t-aDNIqTlDKnImages of A2RL Season 2 are available to download here: https://we.tl/t-crQOlJxaoTA race recap video from Head of Sporting, Alex Winkler is available here: https://youtube.com/shorts/X0bPjQZMErg?feature=share
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