TUM Autonomous Motorsport — A2RL Championship Wins
Photo credit: Aspire, UAE
Leading TUM Autonomous Motorsport meant turning years of research into a competition-proven software stack that could deliver under pressure on one of the most demanding stages in autonomous driving.
Overview
We developed a full autonomous racing stack to compete head-to-head against other top international teams in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL). Our primary goal was clear: to build the most reliable, fastest, and race-ready AI driver in the world and take home the championship.
In 2024, our team won the inaugural A2RL event. In 2025, we successfully defended our title, dominating the field by securing pole position in qualifying and decisively winning the final against international competitors to become back-to-back world champions.
My Contribution
As team lead, I guided the software architecture and coordinated the translation of academic research into a robust, championship-winning system. Key responsibilities included:
- Defining technical priorities, release goals, and safety constraints
- Coordinating engineering efforts across perception, planning, control, and system integration
- Cultivating a culture of rigorous testing and rapid iteration in high-pressure pitlane environments
Key Results
- Back-to-back A2RL Champion (2024 & 2025) at Yas Marina Circuit
- Pole position in the 2025 qualifying rounds
- Autonomous Lap Record at the Yas Marina Circuit with a lap time of 58.2 seconds
- Incident-free competitive operation over extended high-intensity race weeks
- Reliable control and dynamic planning in extreme handling limits and head-to-head overtaking scenarios
