Man vs. Machine: Daniil Kvyat to race against driverless AI car at Suzuka

Two Super Formula cars will battle it out on track at Suzuka next month, but only one of them will have a driver behind the wheel.

Following on from Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) staging its first fully AI driverless car race at Yas Marina, the next challenge is to pit one of the AI-driven cars against a real driver.

Daniil Kvyat to race against driverless AI-powered race car

The A2RL organisation is hosting a ‘Man vs. Machine’ showdown at Suzuka during the Super Formula double-header series finale on November 9th and 10th.

Unlike the inaugural AI-powered car race at Yas Marina back in April, a computer-driven Dallara SF23 car modified by A2RL will take on a meatier challenge as it will square off against former Red Bull Racing F1 driver Daniil Kvyat.

The Russian driver has been involved with A2RL since its early days, providing driving and testing data to enable the initial machine learning required for the driverless cars.

Following on the first race at Yas Marina, which proved to be an interesting spectacle as the driverless cars – prepared by team entrants from scientific groups and technological universities around the world – showed flashes of speed and racecraft alongside some highly-amusing errors.

But the potential to develop the technology has been undeniable, and A2RL will now test the learnings of the last year against Kvyat’s skills at Suzuka.

Kvyat will line up in one standard SF23 Dallara, the fastest single-seater in the world behind F1, with the A2RL car using advanced sensors, computer systems, cameras and computational stacks in order to achieve its laptime.

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With a month to go, a test programme is already underway in Japan to collect data in order to prepare for the race. It’s the first international event for the A2RL, which has expanded its test programme outside of UAE with a European test programme getting underway with Japanese racing star Juju Noda.

“We are excited to bring this thrilling exhibition event to Japan’s iconic racing circuit as A2RL expands internationally,” said A2RL CEO Stephane Timpano.

“Pitting human against machine is the ultimate test for AI-driven technology, especially when racing against Daniil Kvyat, a former Formula 1 driver who knows this circuit so well. I have no doubt the fans are in for an electrifying showcase of autonomous racing at its best.”

With the race forming part of the big Super Formula weekend at Suzuka, the series’ CEO, Yoshihisa Ueno, said he’s thrilled to see one of their cars at the forefront of such exciting technology.

“The development of the SF23 has been one of the most significant programs in our organisation’s history, and we are proud to have been part of pioneering this new genre of AI racing using the SF23 platform,” he said.

“To now see it race in this groundbreaking exhibition—one car driven by a human, the other by AI—is both fascinating and exciting. We are pleased to welcome A2RL to the world-famous Suzuka Circuit and look forward to the highly anticipated ‘Man vs. Machine’ event.”

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