Matt Kew is Autosport’s Formula E reporter, relying on his experience covering the British Touring Car Championship to analyse the sometimes-rough-and-tumble electric series.
Matt joined Autosport in 2018, working 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. He maintains that from this, he always knew Ben Collins was the Stig.
Matt went on to 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 then 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 and touring cars are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.
Latest articles by Matt Kew
Sette Camara has not “done one corner” in new Dragon FE car
Sergio Sette Camara has not yet “done one corner” in the new Dragon Penske Autosport Formula E car ahead of its Rome debut but will begin testing it this month.
Cassidy exceeded own expectations on Formula E debut
Nick Cassidy says he exceeded his own expectations in his maiden Formula E weekend in the Diriyah E-Prix after showing top six pace in both qualifying and race trim.
Why the new Formula E season got off to such a controversial start
With the new Formula E season belatedly getting underway in Saudi Arabia, the championship appeared to try to make up for lost time with an overspill of action and controversy on and off the track. While some talking points could have serious repercussions, it was an explosive opener for many reasons.
Dennis slams Wehrlein for "driving me into the wall"
BMW Formula E driver Jake Dennis has hit out at Pascal Wehrlein for driving him into the wall in the Diriyah E-Prix, saying he “doesn’t really know what the logic was" behind his move.
Formula E takes control of Audi team licence sale
Formula E Operations has taken control of the sale of the Audi team licence after the deadline to agree a buyout past, despite interested parties holding talks with the manufacturer.
Evans: Rowland “completely screwed” my qualifying run
Mitch Evans reckons Nissan e.dams racer Oliver Rowland “deliberately” and “completely screwed” his Diriyah qualifying run as the Jaguar Formula E driver failed to set a flying lap.
Evans explains Lynn’s “aeroplane crash” in Diriyah
Mitch Evans has explained to Motorsport.com the “aeroplane crash” that resulted in Alex Lynn being taken to hospital and that caused the red flag to the second Diriyah E-Prix.
Vergne loses Diriyah Formula E podium to da Costa
Double Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne has been stripped of his podium in the second Diriyah night race to promote DS Techeetah teammate Antonio Felix da Costa to third.
Mercedes, Venturi given green light for Diriyah FE race
The four Mercedes-powered Formula E cars will be able to contest the second Diriyah E-Prix night race after being granted permission by the FIA stewards.
Frijns reveals “drastic” Virgin secret to secure first FE pole
First-time Formula E polesitter Robin Frijns has credited a Zoom call for the turnaround in his fortunes ahead of the second Diriyah E-Prix.
Diriyah E-Prix: Frijns on pole, Mercedes sits out qualifying
Robin Frijns landed a maiden Formula E pole for the second Diriyah E-Prix as the top four from Friday’s opening race all failed to complete a flying lap.
Mercedes not allowed in qualifying after Mortara's crash
Mercedes and Venturi Racing have not been allowed to take part in Formula E qualifying for the Diriyah E-Prix while the FIA investigates Edoardo Mortara’s practice crash.
Muller blasts FE yellow flag rule after qualifying demotion
Formula E drivers Nico Muller and Robin Frijns have called out two rules that messed up their Diriyah E-Prix qualifying and sent them to the back of the grid.
Mercedes: De Vries "lucky" to win in Riyadh after safety car
Mercedes team principal Ian James has heralded first-time Formula E race winner Nyck de Vries as “on fire” in the Diriyah E-Prix but reckoned the manufacturer was “lucky” to win.
Diriyah E-Prix: Mercedes' de Vries wins FE's first night race
Mercedes racer Nyck de Vries controlled every lap of the Diriyah E-Prix from pole position to score his first Formula E race win ahead of Edoardo Mortara.
Andretti to retain BMW FE powertrain, despite works pullout
The Andretti Formula E team has announced that it will stick with a BMW powertrain for the 2021-22 season after the German manufacturer leaves championship in an official capacity.
Diriyah E-Prix: De Vries tops first practice from Lotterer
Mercedes driver Nyck de Vries was comfortably fastest in the first practice session of the new 2021 Formula E season as Andre Lotterer guided Porsche to second.
Da Costa struggled for motivation to train after FE success
Defending Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa has revealed that he struggled for motivation to train after his title win and so started working with a sports psychologist.
The eight major plotlines to watch in Formula E 2021
The delayed 2020-21 Formula E season gets underway this week with a double-header in Saudi Arabia. The testing times were too close to call a favourite, but that's not the only area of interest to follow as the championship enters a crucial year
Why Formula E's 2021 season will be a crucial litmus test
As off-track politics threatens to overshadow events on it, the upcoming Formula E season is perhaps its most important since the championship's inception. And that's a shame, given that the focus should be on what promises to be its closest title fight yet.
Dragon Penske set to commit to Formula E's Gen3 era
Dragon Penske Autosport looks set to commit to Gen3 Formula E rules after agreeing a “long-term” partnership with Bosch, which is planning to construct a powertrain for the new regulations.
Formula E evaluating Americas leg for Santiago, Mexico, NYC races
Formula E is evaluating an Americas leg for the second half of the 2021 season and will arrange backup venues for the Santiago, Mexico and London E-Prix, Motorsport.com has learned.
Formula E customer teams to get greater parity in Gen3 era
Formula E will provide greater parity for customer teams during the Gen3 era by mandating their cars receive the same software upgrades as the manufacturer teams for each race.
Future Saudi Arabian FE rounds could move to new location
Formula E races in Saudi Arabia could move to a new location as part of the country’s plans to boost domestic tourism, Motorsport.com has learned.
How Mercedes and Porsche can avoid a difficult second FE album
Mercedes and Porsche compete to win and have done so across the board: in Formula 1, sportscars, the Dakar Rally and endurance road races - even working together to break land speed records. Next in the crosshairs is the Formula E teams' championship crown.
Vergne: Gains from new DS FE powertrain "barely seeable"
Jean-Eric Vergne insists DS Techeetah’s new Formula E powertrain won’t bring a massive step in performance, despite the extra development time afforded by the new homologation cycle.
Carroll joins NIO as reserve FE driver
The NIO 333 Formula E team has signed former Jaguar Racing driver Adam Carroll as its reserve driver ahead of the 2020-21 world championship season.
DS becomes second FE manufacturer to commit to Gen3
DS Automobiles has become the second Formula E manufacturer to sign up to the forthcoming Gen3 regulations that will be introduced for the 2022-23 season.
Formula E to impose fee on quitting manufacturers in Gen3 era
Formula E and the FIA have put in place financial penalties designed specifically to deter manufacturers from quitting the championship during the forthcoming Gen3 era.
Mercedes admits new FE powertrain a "massive risk"
The delayed start to the 2020-21 Formula E season has enabled Mercedes to take a "massive risk" with its new powertrain despite a temporary "100%" team shutdown.
Saudi Arabia Formula E races never in doubt despite travel ban
The opening races of the Formula E season in Saudi Arabia have never been at risk of being cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, according to the event's promoter.
Mercedes FE employing same 'no blame' culture as F1 team
The Mercedes Formula E team will employ the company’s praised “’no blame’ culture” - used successfully by its Formula 1 squad - to eliminate the repeated operational errors of 2020.
Bird: FE should police Valencia track limits with barriers
Jaguar Racing recruit Sam Bird reckons Formula E should install barriers for its first race on a permanent circuit at Valencia to stop drivers "taking the mickey" over track limits.
Formula E unveils new track layout for Rome E-Prix
Formula E has unveiled a new track layout for the third running of the Rome E-Prix, which is set to become the second longest circuit used in the championship’s history.
Cost cap "mandatory" for McLaren to join Formula E
McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown says the introduction of a cost cap in Formula E is "mandatory" if the team is to take up its option to join the championship.
Envision Virgin to co-build world's first electric two-seater
The Envision Virgin Racing Formula E team will co-develop the first two-seat electric open-wheel race car as part of a new sponsorship deal with FTSE 100 company Johnson Matthey.
How XE's star power puts Formula E under pressure
With the addition of Jenson Button's own team to join the involvement of fellow Formula 1 champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Extreme E's ranks, the new electric SUV series is brimming with star power to enable it to deliver on its promise
FE targeting record 15 races and fan attendance this season
Formula E is targeting a record-breaking 15 races for the 2020-21 season and is “confident” fans will be able to attend events, according to championship co-founder Alberto Longo.
Wolff: FE has taken smart approach in calendar reshuffle
Venturi Racing team principal Susie Wolff reckons Formula E faces challenges “higher than any other championship” when attempting to organise a calendar during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Formula E reveals second set of races for 2020/21
Formula E has revealed the next six rounds of the 2020-21 calendar, with the series set to race on a permanent track for the first time in its history.
Ganassi's XE car to carry Hummer styling after GMC tie-up
American road car manufacturer GMC has signed a deal to partner the Chip Ganassi Racing team for its entry into the maiden season of Extreme E.
Button joins Extreme E grid driving for own team
Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button will drive in the inaugural Extreme E season, having created his own JBXE team for the fledging all-electric SUV off-road racing series.
Rivals fear new homologation cycle benefits top FE teams
Changes to the Formula E regulations - designed to offset the impact of COVID-19 - could hand the top two teams in the championship an advantage, according to team bosses.
Santiago E-Prix set to be reinstated on Formula E calendar
Formula E is set to reinstate the Santiago E-Prix for early June, according to a letter sent out by the president of the Chilean motorsport federation.
Sarrazin signed to partner Chadwick at Veloce XE team
Sportscar veteran Stephane Sarrazin has been signed by the Veloce Racing team for the inaugural Extreme E season to partner W Series champion Jamie Chadwick.
FE cost cap must halt 'ineffective' spending
Formula E boss Jamie Reigle says the championship’s planned cost cap must stop the ‘ineffective’ spending of some teams and that there is “no excuse” for not introducing financial limitations.
Formula E: Audi, BMW exits could lower barrier to entry
Audi and BMW’s decision to quit Formula E has made the championship more appealing to some prospective teams, according to series chief executive Jamie Reigle.
Gen3 Formula E cars won't force existing tracks to redesign
The lighter and more powerful Formula E cars of the incoming Gen3 regulations will not require the pre-existing circuits to be redesigned, according to championship co-founder Alberto Longo.
Alpine evaluating Formula E entry in collaboration with Lotus
Alpine and Lotus are evaluating a collaboration for a Formula E team entry in addition to a FIA World Endurance Championship programme.
Extreme E delays start of inaugural season
The first round of the inaugural Extreme E season has been delayed by two weeks in response to the global health crisis.
Extreme E secures Sky TV deal for UK and Ireland
Extreme E has secured a one-year deal with Sky Sports to have its races broadcast live on the subscription television service in the UK and Ireland in 2021.
What Formula E must do for McLaren to act on its attraction
News that McLaren is formally considering a Formula E move is a much-needed boost for a series that took some punches at the end of 2020. But to allay any doubts that Zak Brown may have, FE must take action on its biggest potential stumbling block
McLaren secures option to join Formula E
McLaren Racing has signed an agreement with Formula E that gives the outfit the option to join the championship for the Gen3 era beginning in 2022.
Formula E launches new Esports series, offers real-life test
Formula E has launched a six-round esports competition for which every full-time entrant will receive a share of a €100,000 prize fund, with the winner earning a real-life car test.
Saudi Arabia Formula E races to go ahead as planned
Formula E has announced that its Saudi Arabia night races will go ahead as planned in late February and will move to become the opening round of the 2021 season.
Formula E can supply F1 with drivers, engineers - Mercedes
Formula E is nearing a stage where it can directly supply drivers and engineers ready for Formula 1, according to Mercedes FE team principal Ian James.
Santiago E-Prix postponed due to COVID-19 crisis
The first round of the 2021 Formula E season in Santiago has been postponed less than a month before it was due to take place.
First full-power Extreme E group test conducted in Spain
The first full-power group test of the Extreme E car has been completed, with new Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr attending the shakedown at Motorland Aragon in Spain.
Da Costa: “Crazy good” new DS FE car is worth waiting for
Antonio Felix da Costa says he will “try and stay alive” in the opening races of the 2021 Formula E season following DS Techeetah’s decision to delay its “crazy good” new car.
HWA replaced by Hispano Suiza in Extreme E
HWA has withdrawn its entry from the inaugural 2021 Extreme E season but has been immediately replaced by a revival of the Hispano Suiza marque of the early 20th century.