Look: UAE-made $25 million self-driving F1 race car ready to compete in Abu Dhabi
October 17, 2025 02:39 PM

Imagine attending a Formula One race — high-speed motorcars zipping down the tracks, their tyres flashing by in a blur, only to find that no human is behind the wheel. This F1 motorcar, an Abu Dhabi invention made possible by the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), is completely driven by AI (artificial intelligence).

The front of this stunning, sleek model resembles a hammerhead shark, the T-shape sitting strikingly across the car’s glistening body. One car of its kind costs a whopping $25 million. Normal F1 cars cost much less than this, around $12 million to $15 million, according to Red Bull. 

Each element of the autonomous, AI-powered F1 car is taken into account, a steering wheel alone costs around $50,000, while the set of wings can reach $500,000.

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No human intervention

While this homegrown motor car still uses petrol fuel like other F1 cars, its shell of a body seats nobody. It uses cutting-edge technologies such as AI, fast mobility stacks, innovative sensor technologies, and edge-computing. Called the EAV-25, an upgrade from the EAV-24, the race cars can perceive their surroundings, make decisions in milliseconds, and race competitively without human intervention. 

The vehicle is currently on display at the Evolve Future Mobility Show, a four-day mobility event taking place at Expo Centre Sharjah from October 15 to 18. Next month, a whole fleet of them (22 in total) will compete in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League at Yas Marina Circuit on November 15. The event will bring in thousands of spectators and will have a prize pool of $2.25 million.

“The car reaches a speed of 370 kmph on racetracks against people who drive cars and beat them. This is the most advanced car in the world of racing,” Khalid Al Mulla, president of the Mercedes Benz AMG club Group 63, said. He explained that millions upon millions were spent on developing this car, which is completely driven by AI and with no human intervention. 

Sultan Al Ali, the vice president of Group 63, said that the car takes algorithms from motorsports racers, like Lewis Hamilton, and assess their performances, skills, and movements to record in the simulation. “We test them and let them record patterns and speed lines in the car based on all the information received by artificial intelligence,” he said. “At the same time, during a certain lap or a certain overtaking, it thinks about a million operations in a second and decides to take a right or a left to get the speed.”

Both Al Mulla and Al Ali work with Group 63, the largest Mercedez Benz club in the world with over 377,000 members. The group is also a partner of this extraordinary F1 car, and the duo helps race car enthusiasts the latest technologies that the UAE develops in the motorsport world.

F1 in the UAE

Abu Dhabi has long set its foot in the prestigious F1 motor racing competition. The Yas Marina Circuit made its debut for F1’s season finale in 2009, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel taking home the crown. Since then, the circuit has become established in the F1 world, hosting numerous races in the subsequent years. 

The capital also made its starring role in F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon and Damson Idris. In fact, the movie’s dramatic ending, which was the defining moment for one of the main characters, was filmed in three separate locations in Abu Dhabi.

In the global landscape, F1 has evolved into a global powerhouse, with a fan base of around 826 Mn, according to IMD. The competition is also a breeding ground for new innovations, as proven by the EAV-25 car. Competitive advantage comes from algorithms and data, not only a driver’s movements or skills.

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