The streets of Monte Carlo, with their mythic aura, steeped in history and a touch of glamor, remain a frightening prospect for even the grizzled racing driver seeking to go at high speed, let alone an adolescent with just 20 minutes to arrange.
It was an unenviable challenge that Taylor Barnard faced earlier this yr, making him the youngest ever to begin a Formula E race on the age of just 19. While working within the Principality as McLaren's reserve driver, he was unexpectedly called into motion after regular driver Sam Bird broke his arm in a practice crash.
Barnard's only previous Monaco experience on the time got here last yr, when he scored two points in his only Formula 3 campaign with Jenzer Motorsport – a season that saw him finish tenth overall with a race victory at Spa.
This needed to do with the 2023 campaign, which also included being a finalist for the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year award and a few Formula E starts with McLaren, which convinced the Woking-based team of Barnard's potential as they signed up for a software development role.
“Before we put him in the car in Monaco, we knew what talent and ability he had, which was clear when we saw how he worked with the team, taking advantage of the opportunities he had previously had driving the car.” says McLaren team principal Ian James.
“But until you place him in a competitive environment, you don't really understand how he's going to react. After the primary shock [of being told he was racing in Monaco]just the calmness, the attitude he had when working with the engineers and listening to them. I believe he did a superb job and showed the strength of his character.
Staying outside the barriers and ending 14th was the most effective that might be expected from Barnard, who had no time to arrange. It was a luxury he could afford ahead of the double-header Berlin E-Prix next day trip, still replacing the injured Bird, and the religion the team had in him paid off handsomely with double points.
Barnard was called up on the last minute for the Monaco E-Prix after Sam Bird was injured in training
Photo: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Not only did Barnard make him the youngest points scorer in Formula E history, it made a long-lasting impression on McLaren and just a few months later Barnard becomes a full-time driver alongside Bird for the upcoming season, which starts next month in Sao Paulo.
“I feel like there are a lot of good drivers in this championship and obviously I'm still quite young, I'm still learning, so to be able to fight with drivers of this class, I think it's good,” says Barnard.
“It's a very good position for me, I can learn and naturally race for McLaren. It's a very good environment, a very good brand, I actually have a very good name behind me. Of course, there are quite a lot of drivers in the sector who’ve also been in F1, so I feel prefer it's a very good next step in my profession after which taking the subsequent steps. I feel like learning from other good drivers that I shall be racing against on the track is an actual step for me.
“I feel there are a lot of good drivers in this championship and of course I'm still quite young, I'm still learning, so to be able to fight with drivers of this class, I think it's good.” Taylor Barnard
Despite his impressive performances in electric machines, the now 20-year-old enters Formula E after a poor spell in Formula 2 with AIX Racing, together with his only notable highlight being winning the Monaco sprint race only a month into his Formula E debut.
Previously, Barnard's rapid but unspectacular rise through the junior single-seater ladder finished second to Mercedes F1 star Andrea Kimi Antonelli in each the 2022 German ADAC Formula 4 Championship and the 2023 Middle East Formula 4 Regional Championship. Most Notable Achievements.
With only single seasons in F3 and F2 under his belt over the subsequent two years, results on the highly competitive path to F1 were few and much between. At least for now, the door to the highest of the game is closed, Barnard has entered the world of electrical racing, which, as he rightly points out, is “a real step for me.”
With world champion status, manufacturer commitment and this season's latest Gen3 Evo automobile boasting impressive performance – including a 0-60mph time beating current generation F1 cars – Formula E is beginning to develop into a desirable destination for young talent .
Barnard on the wheel of the McLaren Gen 3 Evo throughout the Jarama test
Photo: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
“It's not a traditional route that a young driver would take, but I feel it's definitely a good opportunity for me to be able to continue to progress in my career but at the same time still compete at a very high level in the world championship with good drivers,” says Barnard.
“I feel prefer it's definitely a very good position for me, especially with McLaren, in addition they have quite a lot of other campaigns as a brand. With all this in mind, it could make me push even harder this season, work as hard as I can to get the outcomes I believe the team and I deserve.
Barnard will not be the one young driver to maneuver from the single-seater F1 ladder to Formula E this season. Zane Maloney joined Abt despite still having a mathematical probability of winning the F2 title with 4 races remaining.
In Maloney's case, he joined a manufacturer in the shape of Lola, which has develop into permanently related to Formula E, while Barnard joins a team that has racing in its blood. McLaren isn’t any stranger to success, as is James, who led Mercedes to back-to-back driver and team titles before the Silver Arrows ended their Formula E stint in 2022.
With McLaren essentially taking on the German team, its two seasons in Formula E as a customer team, which coincided with the beginning of the Gen3 era, were difficult, ending only eighth and seventh within the teams' championship, each times beaten by powertrain supplier Nissan.
There have been flashes of success, nonetheless, including a maiden victory in the electrical vehicle championship due to Bird's final lap in Sao Paulo earlier this yr. In Bird, the team has one of the crucial experienced drivers on the grid to assist steer its development in the appropriate direction, and Barnard has a wealth of data to attract on from his previous three starts.
Barnard will even need to bear in mind the teachings of other rookies who’ve joined Formula E because the start of the Gen3 era in 2022 and have struggled for consistency despite showing incredible speed. The unique nature of Formula E racing, which is characterised by racing in a peloton, in addition to the necessity to continually manage energy levels, makes it a totally different challenge to most other areas of motorsport.
Barnard replaces Jake Hughes, who has switched to a Maserati MSG for the brand new campaign
Photo: Malcolm Griffiths / Motorsport Images
Barnard directly replaces Jake Hughes, who like him was brought into Formula E by McLaren two years ago. During this time, the Briton scored 4 pole positions, but just one podium, before leaving the team.
Hughes has joined Maserati MSG and replaces Jehan Daruvala – the one debutant on the grid last season who was given his marching orders – while Sacha Fenestraz only lasted two seasons before being dropped by Nissan, who again showed flashes of speed but without results.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground, it will be difficult for him on the pitch, there is no doubt about it.” Ian James
McLaren is well aware of the challenge facing its latest young protege this season, but can be aware that with the appropriate environment and package, Barnard has the potential to thrive.
“We have to keep our feet firmly on the ground. It will be difficult for him at the beginning of the season, there is no doubt about that, there will be a lot of eyes on him, there will be a lot of pressure,” says James. “Our job now is to get that out of the way, give him the support he needs and just give him a platform to show what he can do.”
James and the remainder of the McLaren hierarchy know the difficulties facing Barnard
Photo: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
