The Autonomous “F1” Showcases Itself in Las Vegas

The Indy Autonomous Challenge, a championship for autonomous cars, continues its strategy for global visibility by showcasing one of its single-seaters at CES in Las Vegas.

CES in Las Vegas is the must-attend tech event where innovation tries to coexist with emotion. It is a logical presence for a discipline that primarily claims to be a rolling laboratory, yet continues to spark debate whenever it enters the realm of motorsport.

Because while the technology impresses on paper, the reality of the track has recently reminded us of the limits of the concept. The A2RL race, a cousin championship, held last November nearly turned into a fiasco. Erratic behaviors on the track, incoherent trajectories, repeated neutralizations: at the end of the event, only three cars were classified on the same lap. This scenario raises questions about the sporting maturity of these competitions entirely driven by algorithms.

Techno freak show in Vegas

Far from questioning the scientific interest of the project, this episode mainly highlights the gap that remains between technological demonstration and true competition. A car race is not merely a matter of optimized calculations or perfect management of a data flow. It relies on instant choices, taking risks, mistakes as well, and above all, the commitment of women and men capable of pushing their limits.

By seeking to eliminate the human factor, the Indy Autonomous Challenge also erases what makes the heart of motorsport beat: the emotion. The courage in overtaking, the intuition in the rain, the management of pressure in the final laps cannot be programmed. They are experienced, felt, and transmitted to the audience.

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The display of an autonomous car at CES perfectly illustrates this ambiguity. Fascinating from a technological standpoint, the discipline still struggles to convince as a sporting spectacle. The question remains: are you really interested in a race of autonomous cars, or should competition remain, above all, a matter of humans?

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