- From passion for cars to AI workshops
- What does it mean to be a “mechanic” in autonomous racing?
- A day in an autonomous racing garage
- Challenges of working in autonomous racing
- How an autonomous racing garage differs from a traditional one
- Amna’s impact on the image of women in the automotive world
- Today’s races, tomorrow’s traffic
- Why her story matters to car readers
Today’s racing scene is no longer just about drivers and loud engines. There are now brains and engineers working behind cars that have no human driver at all, controlled instead by algorithms and artificial intelligence. In the middle of this radical shift, led by autonomous racing series such as the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, young Emirati talents are breaking stereotypes about workshops and mechanics. Among these names stands out Amna Almarzooqi, an engineer who blends a passion for cars with computer science and robotics, becoming one of the first Emirati women working behind the scenes of autonomous car racing.
This story is not only about driverless cars. It is also about a woman who decided her natural place is not in the grandstands, but at the heart of the garage, surrounded by sensors, control units and data cables, where the car’s decisions are made in fractions of a second.
From passion for cars to AI workshops
Amna’s journey into autonomous racing garages did not happen by chance. Like many young people in the UAE, it began with admiration for high‑performance cars and circuits like Yas Marina. The difference is that she did not settle for simply watching races; she wanted to understand how these cars work, what happens behind the dashboard, and how a software program can replace a professional driver in high‑speed corners.
She combined a background in engineering or computer science with a clear passion for motorsport.
She chose a different path from the usual; instead of aiming to drive the cars, she went toward programming the “brain of the car” and preparing it mechanically and electronically.
She saw autonomous racing as a unique opportunity to be part of the future of mobility, not just as a consumer of technology but as someone building it from Abu Dhabi.
By blending mechanics and programming, the garage became for her a real laboratory where artificial intelligence is tested under the harshest conditions.
What does it mean to be a “mechanic” in autonomous racing?
The word “mechanic” here does not just mean removing and installing parts as in traditional workshops. It now covers a full set of new skills imposed by the nature of autonomous racing.
Core tasks in an autonomous racing garage include:
Working with a complex package of sensors (cameras, radar, lidar) that require precise mounting and constant calibration.
Installing high‑performance computing units inside the car and making sure they are cooled and able to withstand heat and vibration.
Checking electrical connections and fibre‑optic lines that carry data between the sensors and the car’s “brain”.
Reading fault reports and logs produced by the software systems to trace any issue affecting the car’s performance in the next run.
In this sense, the engineer or “mechanic” in autonomous racing becomes a link between two worlds: the world of metal and carbon fibre, and the world of code and algorithms.
A day in an autonomous racing garage
A workday in an autonomous racing garage is no less stressful than race day itself. Every decision, connection and bolt can be the difference between a record‑setting lap and an early exit from the competition.
Key elements of that day can be summarised as:
Starting early by reviewing the cars’ status after the last test session and going through all notes logged by the systems.
Performing quick checks on conventional mechanical systems: tyres, brakes, suspension, and the integrity of external body parts.
Moving to the electronic and software side: updating software, calibrating sensors, and testing communication between different control units.
Before each on‑track session, running a series of static tests: powering up systems, simulating control commands, and confirming the car responds as expected.
After every test lap or race, collecting telemetry data and downloading it to computers for analysis, then returning to the garage to implement quick changes before the next stint.
In this high‑pressure environment, a personality like Amna’s emerges as a symbol of calm under pressure, able to move smoothly between a screen displaying sensor data and a wrench tightening a part before sending the car back out.
Challenges of working in autonomous racing
Working in this type of racing blends the challenges of traditional mechanics with extra layers related to advanced technology and harsh environments.
Some of the major challenges include:
High track temperatures affecting not only tyres and brakes but also sensors and computing hardware.
The huge volume of data generated by the car on every run, which must be processed quickly to extract clear insights before the next session.
The need for precise coordination between mechanical staff and software/data teams, with each side understanding the other’s language.
Severe time pressure: sometimes only a few minutes are available between sessions to fix a problem, swap a unit or reboot a system.
Despite these challenges, Amna and her team see every lap as a step towards safer, smarter autonomous systems, whether on the racetrack or on city streets in the future.
How an autonomous racing garage differs from a traditional one
To understand the new role an engineer like Amna plays, it helps to look at the fundamental differences between a conventional race garage and an autonomous race garage.
Aspect | Traditional race garage | Autonomous race garage
Driver | Human driver providing feedback | “Driver” is an algorithm fusing data from sensors
Main focus | Setting up chassis and engine to driver’s style | Balancing car setup with sensor and AI system setup
Data | Relies on driver feel plus basic telemetry | Tens of terabytes per day from cameras, radar and lidar
Tools | Wrenches, jacks, basic diagnostics | All of the above plus powerful computers, data networks, analysis software
Support team | Mechanics and race engineers | Hybrid team of mechanics, software engineers and AI specialists
These differences open the door to a new type of talent, where an Emirati engineer like Amna finds herself at the centre of a global‑level race, not as an “exception”, but as a natural member of a multidisciplinary team.
Amna’s impact on the image of women in the automotive world
Having an Emirati woman in such a technically advanced role sends several messages at once:
It shows that women’s presence in the automotive world is not limited to the passenger seat or even the driver’s seat, but extends to designing systems and working deep in the garage.
It provides a living example for young girls visiting the circuit or watching the race: they see someone like them working on an autonomous race car, and their sense of what is possible expands.
It fits perfectly with the UAE’s vision of empowering women in scientific and technical fields, not only in traditional roles.
In this sense, Amna’s story becomes part of a larger narrative about a new generation of Emirati women entering AI, robotics and motorsport with full confidence.
Today’s races, tomorrow’s traffic
What is happening today at Yas Marina or other autonomous racing circuits is not just a technical showcase; it is a practical step towards future transport systems that will use the same algorithms and sensors on city streets.
The lessons that Amna and her colleagues learn about:
How an autonomous car handles high‑speed corners,
How it makes safe overtaking decisions,
How it reacts to surprises on the track,
all can later be converted into algorithms used in robotaxis, delivery fleets or smart traffic systems.
In that way, the engineer’s impact extends from the racetrack to the city, and from the world of sport into everyday life.
Why her story matters to car readers
To a reader of an Arabic automotive magazine, supercar stories and record lap times may seem the most exciting, but Amna Almarzooqi’s story reveals another important side:
That the future of cars will not be written only in spec sheets, but also in server rooms and workshops that bring together bolts and code.
That the Arab region, and the UAE in particular, is not just a market consuming autonomous car technology, but an active environment helping to develop it.
That having women on the front line of this development adds an inspiring social dimension to the automotive industry as a whole.
For anyone considering a career in the automotive world, this experience opens non‑traditional doors: from automotive engineering to coding autonomous driving systems, and from tuning workshops to data simulation rooms.
