Read time: 9.1 minutes

Four races into the 2024/25 Formula E campaign, and it’s safe to say that Taylor Barnard has been the star of the season so far. Three podiums and a Pole position is a stellar return for anyone, and that’s before you consider that this is, in fact, Taylor’s first full season.

The youngster graduated to a race seat with NEOM McLaren this season after impressing as Reserve and Development Driver in 2023/24 – a role that saw him stand in for three races – and he’s wasted no time in showing what he can do.

“I think coming into this season we were very confident about the capabilities of the car,” he says. “Of course, I still needed to learn quite a lot. I didn't really have any expectations. I knew I was good enough to do it, but I didn't know if I needed a bit of time, if I needed to feel a bit more comfortable or get the opportunity where the car is performing at a certain circuit.”

On the rostrum right away

Right out of the box, Taylor was on the podium. The race in São Paulo wasn’t perfect. Early in the race, a drive-through penalty for overuse of energy dropped him and teammate Sam Bird to the back of the field, but he learned from this and later on in the race, smart energy saving and a nicely-timed Red Flag helped him vault up the field.

“The Qualifying and Practises were not really what we wanted, the pace wasn't really there,” Taylor admits. “But, in the race, we read it very well from the back, and after serving penalties, we used Attack Mode perfectly, and we ended up with a P3 and P4, which was very good considering what we thought we would end up with.”

The third-place finish in São Paulo was all the sweeter as it made Taylor the youngest podium finisher in Formula E history, having already become the series’ youngest competitive driver in Monaco last year and youngest points scorer in the following round in Berlin, when he stood in for the injured Sam Bird. 

 

Mega job, Taylor Barnard! 🙌

The @McLarenFE driver is our youngest-ever podium finisher, surpassing 22-year-old Daniel Abt in 2015 👏#SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/ROFywC1DmH

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

“It's an amazing achievement to have in just my first race as a full-time race driver,” he said. “I definitely didn't expect it.

“To cross the line in P3 and be the youngest podium finisher is something very special. And even now I struggle to really give out what kind of feeling I had in that moment because when you work your whole life so hard for something and you achieve it, it's the best feeling ever.”

The next race in Mexico was hampered by a tricky Qualifying, but it nonetheless still brought positives.

“Things just didn't really go our way,” he says of Round 2 in Mexico. “I think we made a bit of a mistake on my side in the Qualifying on the tyres. I ended up making it to P10, with the Fastest Lap, so that was just proof of our pace being shown on track that we were very quick and capable."

More records broken

Taylor was back on the podium in Jeddah - not just once, but twice. He had already impressed in the first of two back-to-back rounds, Qualifying fourth and finishing third on the Friday, but stunned the grid by taking Pole on the Saturday to add another ‘youngest-ever’ string to his bow.

“When you’re told on the radio that you're on Pole, it's the best feeling ever,” he says. “You put everything into Qualifying, you put everything into your lap, and then at the end of it, to hear those words is something special.”

The race – which didn’t feature in-race Pit Boost charging like the one the day before – was a pack-style race, in which drivers follow eachother closely to remain in the slipstream and preserve energy, which they can use to push harder in the closing laps. 

Taylor finished second and says it’s a style of racing that he prefers, even though you need to driver slower for a period in order to guarantee you’re competitive at the end of the race.

“With it being a pack-style race, I knew that I had to try and save as much energy as I could at the beginning,” Taylor explains. “I had to try and drive as slow as I could without getting overtaken. People didn't really want to overtake. They would rather sit behind and save energy.

“So from that aspect, I guess it wasn't really the best. But given the position we were in and the situation I had, I think it was a good result.”

What’s next

It’s undoubtedly been a strong start to the season, and unsurprisingly, Taylor feels that “I don't have something specific to work on,” in terms of a particular weakness, but he does still want to improve on his Qualifying - despite the Pole in Jeddah.

“For sure, there's things that I still need to improve, but at the moment, I feel like we're doing a good job as a team,” he said. “Where I feel the weakest at the moment is actually Qualifying. We've not sorted it out, but it's definitely better.

“I feel like the goal now is to have a good Qualifying. Even if we get halfway up the grid, we're going to be very strong in the race. If we have a good Qualifying then we are definitely in the shout with some very good points.”

While Taylor’s start to the season has been remarkable, a big help for him has been the lack of adaption. He came into the season as a rookie by definition, but having a year as a part of the team, mostly on the sidelines, has eased his transition into a full-time racer. As has having a Formula E veteran on the other side of the garage.

“Even when I was the Reserve and Development Driver, I felt very confident, comfortable, and everyone in the team is so easy going, so happy, and the environment is just perfect for a driver,” he says. “It's everything that you want. So, the transition from being a Reserve and Development Driver to a Race Driver was transparent. Nothing really changed - the only difference is that you're actually stepping into the car every weekend, and now I have a teammate.

“Sam was already extremely supportive and helpful when I was the Reserve and Development Driver, and nothing's really changed from being in that role to now his teammate. I couldn't have asked for a better team environment or a teammate for my debut season.”

The Formula E season continues for Taylor and NEOM McLaren on April 12 with a trip to the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The rookie will be looking to continue his fine run of form on what will be a new circuit for Formula E, having built up plenty of confidence in the opening four rounds of the season.

“I'm pretty comfortable and confident at the moment,” he says. “I feel like now, when I'm in the car being comfortable with the environment and everything else, I'm very calm.

“For sure, the results help, and you're able to back up your confidence with the results, but I would say more of the confidence is just coming from driving the car every weekend.”