Enaam Ahmed wins races all over the world when he is behind the wheel.
LONDON: Enaam Ahmed is the first Pakistani to win the World Championship in Karting. He did this by breaking the records of Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen while proudly waving the Pakistani flag around the world.
Not only that, but Enaam is also the first person from Pakistan to win a high-level Formula Championship. He did this by beating Ayrton Senna’s record of winning 13 races in one season.
The 23-year-old is going places with his winning runs on dangerous tracks, where he drives cars at an average speed of 200 miles per hour. He makes sure that both the British and Pakistani flags are on his car. Enaam is one of the most talented and interesting young racers in the motorsport industry. He has won championships and broken records since he was 14 years old. Enaam is also known as the most successful British Formula 3 driver in history. This makes him the most successful Pakistani racing driver in the history of motorsports.
Enaam Ahmed (on the right) shows off his prize. — Author’s photo
Enaam Ahmed (on the right) shows off his prize. — Author’s photo
Enaam was born in London 23 years ago to parents from Pakistan. He became interested in racing when he was eight years old. His parents started supporting his passion by sending him to local Go-karting tracks for kids, but they had no idea that he would become a European and world winner at the age of 14—one year younger than Lewis Hamilton, who was 15 when he became the world champion.
When Enaam told his parents he wanted to race cars, they told him they would no longer pay for him to do it. Instead, he would have to learn to stand on his own two feet and explore his options, or he could go back to normal life, finish college, and then do whatever he wants.
Enaam left his home right away to focus on driving professionally in Japan, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, and the United States. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
The star driver talked about his accomplishments in an interview with Geo and The News.
He said, “I won five titles in one year when I was 14 years old. The European Championship and the World Championship are the two most important ones. Lewis Hamilton won it when he was 15, but I won it when I was 14 years old.
Then, when I was 17, I won the British Formula 3 Championship. I was the first Pakistani to win a major motorsports title, beating Ayrton Senna’s record.
Enaam was very proud of himself when he beat Lewis Hamilton’s record in Go Karting at the age of 14. At that age, Go Karting is the most serious racing you can do, so beating Hamilton’s record was a big deal.
There was a lot of pressure on him to win those events, both to make a name for himself and to show his parents that he made the right choice by leaving home when most of his childhood friends were still playing in Hyde Park.
The most important thing for Enaam has been to achieve these things as a driver from Pakistan. He said with pride, “For me, what matters most is that I won these races on the world stage as a Pakistani and races at the world championship level and the European Championship level as a Pakistani.” Not only to do it, but also to win it, makes me very happy, but I still have a long way to go.”
Enaam Ahmed poses with his prize (third from the left). — Photo by author
Enaam Ahmed poses with his prize (third from the left). — Photo by author
When he’s at home with his parents in London, the 23-year-old has a driving simulator set up. However, he spends most of his time in the US, where he drives cars for a living.
He said, “I usually train twice a day, but that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is going out at that age and getting sponsors, because sponsors pay for races. I always have to perform and win to stay in the game. If you don’t perform, there are no sponsors behind you to move forward. For example, right now I race in the United States in the Indy Nxt series, which is a stepping stone to the IndyCar series, which is the top series.
“I am the first and only Pakistani to ever take part in these races. Alhamdulillah, I am lucky to have big sponsors from America who are paying for me to race in America this year. They have helped me live my dream and get to the top of the two biggest racing series.”
Racing is a unique and daring sport because the drivers have to be very brave, especially when they are going over 200 miles per hour and making quick turns, twists, and dangerous bends at high speed.
Enaam’s mother has avoided watching any of his races because she doesn’t want to see her son going at such dangerous speeds.
The racing star says that driving Formula cars is a dangerous sport, especially in the US where the average speed is much higher.
He says, “The walls are close, and they are made of concrete. If you hit a concrete wall at 200 miles per hour, you could kill yourself. People get hurt or even killed when they race in America. That’s scary, but that’s the point of this sport.
“That makes it exciting for me because at the end of the day, you have nothing to lose. My mom and dad don’t agree with this, but that’s how life is.”
The British-Pakistani racing star left home at age 13, and his father told him he would have to find sponsors on his own. “You are leaving school, and you will have to find sponsors and your niche,” he said.
“At first, I didn’t have any sponsors, but after I won big races and set and broke records, the sponsors came. Pakistani Americans helped me a lot, and there are two big sponsors.”
The Formula One driver says he has met a few Pakistanis and tried to perform with a few of them. He says they never got big because they didn’t have the backing they needed.
“I was lucky to start racing in the UK at a young age, where I had more exposure and trained with the best in the field. The problem in Pakistan and India is that there are no racing car facilities and the government doesn’t care. There aren’t many good Go Karting tracks, and the ones that are there are in bad shape.
“Compare this to Europe, where each country has 20 tracks and millions of people love the sport. I am currently racing in the US and taking part in the biggest races. No Pakistani or South Asian has ever made it this far. The only thing that is more important to me than winning the Indianapolis 500 is becoming the first Formula One World Champion for Pakistan.
Enaam also said that the exciting sport is very expensive. He said that his team spends at least $8 million each season.
“Formula 1 is $150 million a year. Pakistan doesn’t have that kind of money. People in the West spend a lot of money on this sport. I am lucky and happy that I am liked and picked as a driver. I have always taken risks, and my philosophy is “don’t look back and don’t hold back.” Even when the world is against me, I have always believed that I am the best.
Enaam is currently taking part in the IndyNXT series in the US.
He is optimistic about his plans for the future. He says, “I want to finish this year’s season and race in the Indianapolis 500 next year. I want to be the first Pakistani to do that. Then I will aim to get into Formula 1.”