Efficient Trajectory Optimization for Autonomous Racing via Formula-1 Data-Driven Initialization

We present a closed-loop framework for autonomous raceline optimization that combines NURBS-based trajectory representation, CMA-ES global trajectory optimization, and controller-guided spatial feedback. Instead of treating tracking errors as transient disturbances, our method exploits them as informative signals of local track characteristics via a Kalman-inspired spatial update. This enables the construction of an adaptive, acceleration-based constraint map that iteratively refines trajectories toward near-optimal performance under spatially varying track and vehicle behavior. In simulation, our approach achieves a 17.38% lap time reduction compared to a controller parametrized with maximum static acceleration. On real hardware, tested with different tire compounds ranging from high to low friction, we obtain a 7.60% lap time improvement without explicitly parametrizing friction. This demonstrates robustness to changing grip conditions in real-world scenarios.

Autonomous racecars operate at the limits of vehicle dynamics, where small control errors translate into safety-critical behavior and lost performance. Trajectory planners assume perfect tracking and remain blind to execution errors. To guarantee safety, trajectory planners therefore restrict themselves to conservative spatial margins, leaving usable track space untapped. To overcome these issues, we introduce a control-informed online trajectory planning framework that learns from its own execution errors. By measuring systematic tracking deviations during runtime, we dynamically adapt spatial track constraints and iteratively expand the free-space planning area. The planner remains time-optimal while compensating for accumulated execution errors. This method was analyzed in a high-fidelity closed-loop simulation environment with autonomous racecars. The results demonstrate that our approach reduces lap time by 1.8,s without increasing computational burden, maintaining a median runtime of 25 ms. Our finding indicates that feeding control-induced deviations back into the planning layer unlocks performance previously inaccessible to modular architectures and enables autonomous vehicles to exploit track limits systematically.

We present a modular framework to benchmark new and existing methods for trajectory planning and control in high-acceleration maneuvers that push autonomous driving to the limits. Our framework includes time-optimal raceline generation, online time-optimal velocity replanning, geometric path tracking controllers, and a new model-structured neural network (MS-NN) to learn the inverse dynamics for steering control. We deploy our framework on a 1:10-scale RoboRacer platform, using two circuits. Through several ablations with cautious and aggressive racelines, we study the performance of single modules and their combinations. We show that our MS-NN significantly improves tracking accuracy, decreases steering oscillations, and is physically interpretable. Moreover, online velocity replanning improves lap times by compensating for execution errors, and enables the vehicle to safely reach higher speeds and accelerations. To support future research, our code, datasets, videos and results are publicly available at https://roboracer-benchmark.github.io/planning_control_benchmark/.