Former F1 star BEATEN by AI rival in race on Abu Dhabi track

Former F1 and Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat took on the challenge of competing against an AI driverless car…and lost.

The 10-lap showcase took place in Abu Dhabi with the battle against the driverless car drawing attention to the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), which was launched last year.

A2RL sees autonomous Super Formula spec single seaters compete against each other, but there's a twist... they are operated by teams of engineers and are driverless. Perfect if you don’t want to contend with pesky drivers whinging at you from the cockpit (yes, AI racing is the very definition of incel culture.)

In a tale as old as time, the racing world couldn't resist a bit of man versus machine and at the Yas Marina Circuit, Kvyat went up against AI racing team TUM.

Yep, you guessed it…Kvyat lost

The Russian driver has three F1 podiums to his name, competing in the series from 2014 until 2020, before turning his attention to sportscar racing, so you would think his experience would shine through in the end.

AI was given a head start in the competition, but Kvyat was unable to overtake the autonomous car marking his first loss against the new machinery. It remains to be seen how AI race cars would fare over a full grand prix distance, yet they have undoubtedly improved from previous excursions.

Kvyat has previously taken part in a showrun against AI machinery and won on two occasions, beating the technology by 10 seconds at the inaugural event in Abu Dhabi in 2024.

The AI racing cars have garnered bad reputation on social media, with Kvyat taking on a similar challenge at Suzuka in 2024, where the driverless car crashed before the race even began.

However, a year later from that embarrassing outing, the technology has learnt a lot and improved, so much so it makes you want to get rid of your smartphone and live off grid in the mountains.

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