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Why rallying and F3 are closer than you think

As preparations for European Formula 3 go, drifting a Ford Escort Mk2 rally car is at the upper end of unusual, but for Enaam Ahmed this trip wasn't just a jolly

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Since graduating to the Formula 3 European Championship, Enaam Ahmed has been faced with a plethora of new challenges to overcome. The 18-year-old set a record of 13 race wins in a season on the way to last year's BRDC British F3 crown, but now he's doing battle in a much bigger pond.

His Hitech Grand Prix-run Dallara might have a near-identical 237bhp to the British equipment, yet the two cars are far removed in their driving characteristics. Thanks to its ability to produce much more downforce and the fact that it's shod with Hankook tyres - rather than the Pirellis used in the UK - with their own unique behaviour, the Dallara is a new package to Ahmed that he must maximise on a host of circuits he's never raced at before.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.