NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard has spoken exclusively to Motorsport Week about his full-time move to FIA Formula E, how it is now a premium option for young drivers and his goals for Season 11.
Barnard caught the attention of Formula E and the wider motorsport community with an A+ stint as stand-in at McLaren last season.
When Sam Bird broke his hand in FP1 for the Monaco E-Prix, Barnard was drafted in twenty minutes before FP2. He would finish the race in 14th place, earning plaudits from across the grid.
But he was not done there. In Berlin, he told Motorsport Week prior to the double-header weekend that his aim was to score points in both races, and he duly did that, putting his name firmly in the mix for a future Formula E drive.
Barnard revealed to us that those talks to place on that sunny and warm weekend in the German capital.
“I would say around Berlin time was when we started really talking about it,” he says. “The first mention was around Misano when I did FP0. I think after my performance in the actual race, I think was when it really started.
“The talks started happening and I would say probably a month or two months after that was when it started getting very serious.”
Formula E a ‘professional series’
The chatter amongst the paddock about where Barnard’s future in racing would be was inevitable, but with a maiden win in Formula 2 with AIX Racing just a matter of weeks later – back at Monaco – there might have been some hard decisions to make.
Au contraire.
“I think it was quite an easy decision, to be honest,” Barnard says. “I feel very comfortable in the team. It’s a very positive environment, obviously. I did a couple of races and got the full experience and good races as well, so I felt like I got the full experience.
“And to be honest, to jump from F2 to Formula E was not really a hard decision either.”
Barnard is not the only driver to make the jump from Formula 1’s primary feeder championship to Formula E, with Zane Maloney forgoing his own title aspirations to line-up with Lola Yamaha ABT. Barnard puts this down to FE’s growing reputation and its push to give younger drives a chance.
“I think over the last couple of years, Formula E has taken quite a lot of steps to being more attractive to younger drivers.
“Obviously, the rookie tests and things like that are making it possible for everyone to at least have a go.
“Obviously, Zane’s doing quite well in F2 as well, and he’s been in F1 reserve so he’s even in a better position to even stay, and he still made the decision to go to Formula E.
“I’m not really sure why, but for me, it was very attractive as a young driver to take the next step, and also, the teams are very professional, and it’s a very high level, so I think it’s definitely a graduation from Formula 2 into a professional series.
“And there’s only 20 seats in Formula 1, and I feel like there’s quite a lot of people that could try and push that route too far, and then they sit as a reserve driver or a development driver, and they end up with nothing, so I think if you come to Formula E, you can still build yourself as a driver while being in a very professional series.
“And of course, it’s such a high level with all the drivers at the front being so close and also being ex-F1 drivers. So for me, as a young driver, I thought it was a good stepping stone and a good step for my career.”
Driving for McLaren ‘a big privilege’
Barnard is a quiet, reserved young can who still exudes a shy exterior but be in no doubt that he is a fiercely determined character, chocked-full of confidence in his own talent, which was multiplied even further after his successful stint in Bird’s stead.
“I don’t really doubt that in any style of racing that I would really struggle or it would turn me away from a championship, but definitely having the experience that I knew I could do it and finish high, especially in the Berlin races where it was very chaotic.
“Of course, it was a good weekend. It wasn’t actually the strongest weekend for us as a team, the car was potentially not on pace like we were expecting, so to even have that good result while struggling with a bit of pace, I think it was a good weekend. It was definitely a positive and not a turn-off for the championship.
There is no doubt that the name McLaren, whilst still nascent in Formula E, holds significant weight in any form of racing. After taking the team’s first win in São Paulo last season, Sam Bird told Motorsport Week of his pride and emotion of having his name steeped into its folklore, and Barnard agrees that working for the team gives him an added buzz, but he isn’t worried about any added pressure of racing in papaya.
“I think, firstly, to join a name such as McLaren, every time I go to the simulator in Woking, you walk into work, let’s say, and you see the historic cars and the trophies and everything like that, and to be involved in such a team is definitely a big privilege and something that I honour.
“I’m not really sure that it will give me much pressure, to be honest. It gives me a bit of confidence to say that I’m in such an environment, and honestly, the NEOM McLaren team are very, very supportive.
“They do help me as much as they can, and I really enjoyed the environment that I was working in, but in terms of pressure and things like that, I don’t think it will take any negative effect.
Another similarity to Maloney is that, like him with Lucas di Grassi, Barnard has significant experience on the other side of the garage in Bird, a man whose first year in single-seater car racing was the year Barnard was born.
He believes that having a team-mate of that calibre can only be a benefit.
Formula E racing ‘hard but fair’
“Sam’s obviously been in formulary since the very beginning, so he’s got all the experience from – I mean, he’s one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, right? So there’s definitely things that I can learn and take away from him.
As already alluded-to, Barnard has had to get to grips with the different nature of racing that Formula E brings. With no quarter given, and with the possibility of peloton style races, Formula E drivers show their skill on a regular basis, with some more inclined to get their elbows out, but Barnard is ready for the challenge.
“For sure, there’s very close wheel-to-wheel racing in basically every single event. I think to say some drivers are more unfair than others is potentially a bit harsh. For sure, other drivers will accuse them, but when you’re in the race and you’re in the heat of the moment, that kind of stuff happens.
“From what I’ve experienced, for sure there’s drivers which are harder racers than others, but I’ve raced everybody at the front and in the midfield very, very hard, wheel-to-wheel, and it’s been hard but fair, and I think that’s something that makes it very enjoyable. That’s why my Berlin experience was something that was very special, because there was lots of wheel-to-wheel racing, but very fair and made it very enjoyable as a driver, so for sure, when you’re fighting for a championship and you come against a more aggressive driver, it’s probably not the thing that you want the most.
“But as a championship as a whole, I think it’s very fair and it’s very nice to drive.”
Barnard correctly predicted his last Formula E outing, so what chances are there of matching his own personal targets in his first full season?
“Obviously, I’ll have to adjust my personal goals depending on how the performance is, because you can’t go out and say, I want race wins if the package is not really there, and we’re not able to do so, which is then just going to turn into something negative.
“I believe we can do some very good results, even with the performance that we’ve had last year.I want a lot of points. A podium and a win is definitely the target, though.”
