The streets of Monte Carlo, with their mythical aura which are steeped in history and a touch of glamour, remain a daunting prospect for even the most grizzled racing drivers to tackle at speed, let alone a teenager with just 20 minutes in which to prepare.
It was an unenviable challenge that Taylor Barnard faced earlier this year and, in the process, made him the youngest starter of a Formula E race at the age of just 19. Having been in the Principality in his capacity as McLaren’s reserve driver, he was unexpectedly called into action after regular driver Sam Bird broke his hand in a practice accident.
Barnard’s only prior experience of Monaco at the time had come the previous year with two points finishes during his sole Formula 3 campaign with Jenzer Motorsport – a season which yielded 10th overall in the standings via a feature race win at Spa.
It was off the back of this 2023 campaign, which also included being a finalist in the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, and several rookie Formula E outings with McLaren that convinced the Woking-based team of Barnard’s potential as he was signed up in a development role.
“We knew before we put him in that car in Monaco the talent that he had and the ability as well, that was clear to see through how he worked with the team through the opportunities that he'd had to drive the car previously,” says McLaren team principal Ian James.
“But until you actually put him in that competitive environment, you don't really know how he's going to react. After the initial shock [of being told he was racing in Monaco], just the calmness, the approach that he had working together with the engineers, listening to them. I think he did an outstanding job and showed the strength of his character.”
Keeping it out of the barriers and with a 14th-place finish to his name, it was the best that could be expected of Barnard with no time to prepare. This was a luxury he was afforded ahead of the Berlin E-Prix double-header next time out, still in place of the injured Bird, and the faith shown in him by the team paid off handsomely with a double points finish.
As well as making him the youngest points scorer in Formula E history, it left a lasting impression on McLaren. Fast-forward a couple of months, Barnard finds himself a full-time driver alongside Bird for the upcoming season which gets under way next month in Sao Paulo.
“I feel like there's many good drivers in this championship and obviously still being quite young, I'm still learning so to be able to fight against this calibre of drivers I think it is good,” says Barnard. “It's a good position for me to be in, to learn and obviously racing for McLaren. It's a good environment, it's a good brand, it's a good name behind me.
“Obviously, there's quite a lot of drivers on the grid that have also driven in F1, so I feel like it's a good next step for my career to possibly then take on more steps. To learn off some other good drivers that I'll be racing on track is a viable step for me.”
“Obviously still being quite young, I'm still learning so to be able to fight against this calibre of drivers I think it is good" Taylor Barnard
Despite his impressive performances in electric machinery to date, the now 20-year-old comes into Formula E after a lacklustre spell in Formula 2 with AIX Racing, the only notable highlight a victory in the sprint race at Monaco just a month after his Formula E debut.
Prior to that, Barnard’s rise up the junior single-seater ladder has been fast if unspectacular, finishing second to Mercedes’s F1 star-signing Andrea Kimi Antonelli in both the 2022 ADAC German Formula 4 Championship and 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship the most notable achievements.
With just single seasons in F3 and F2 over the following two years under his belt, results have been few and far between on the highly competitive pathway into F1. With the doors to the pinnacle of the sport firmly shut, at least for now, Barnard has made a leap into the world of electric racing, which he rightly points out is “a viable step for me”.
With world championship status, manufacturer involvement and a new Gen3 Evo car for this season that boasts impressive performance – including a 0-60mph time which beats the current generation of F1 car – Formula E is starting to become a desirable destination for young talent.
“It's not the traditional route that a young driver would perhaps take, but I feel like it's definitely a good opportunity for me to be able to keep progressing in my career but also still compete at a very high level in a world championship against good drivers,” reflects Barnard.
“This is definitely a good position for me to be in, especially with McLaren; they also have many other campaigns as a brand. Having that all in mind, that would just make me push a little bit harder for this season and work as hard as possible and get the results that I think the team and myself deserve.”
Barnard is not the only young driver to move across from the F1 single-seater ladder and on to the Formula E grid this season. Zane Maloney is joining Abt, despite still having a mathematical chance at the F2 title with four races left.
In Maloney’s case, he has joined a manufacturer in the form of Lola which has committed to Formula E for the long-term, while Barnard joins a team with racing in its blood. McLaren is no stranger to success, and neither is James, who spearheaded Mercedes to back-to-back drivers’ and teams’ titles before the Silver Arrows pulled the plug on its Formula E adventure in 2022.
With McLaren essentially taking over the German team, its two seasons on the Formula E grid as a customer outfit and which coincided with the start of the Gen3 era have been difficult with just eighth and seventh in the teams’ championship, both times beaten by powertrain supplier Nissan.
But there have been glimmers of success, not least a maiden victory in the all-electric championship courtesy of a final lap pass by Bird in Sao Paulo earlier this year. In Bird, the team has one of the most experienced drivers on the grid to help guide its development in the right direction and for Barnard, a wealth of knowledge to tap into having already done so on his previous three outings.
Barnard will also need to heed the lessons from other rookies who have joined Formula E since the Gen3 era began in 2022 and struggled for consistency, despite showing raw outright speed. The unique nature of Formula E races, which feature a peloton style of pack racing as well as the need to constantly manage energy levels, make it a vastly different challenge from most other avenues of motorsport.
Barnard directly replaces Jake Hughes, who like himself was brought into Formula E by McLaren two years ago, during which time the Briton claimed four pole positions but only one podium before splitting from the team.
Hughes has joined Maserati MSG and replaces Jehan Daruvala - the only rookie on the grid last season given his marching orders - while Sacha Fenestraz lasted only two seasons before being dropped by Nissan having again shown flashes of speed but lacked for results.
“We need to keep both his feet on the ground, it's going to be tough out there there's no doubt about it" Ian James
McLaren is all too aware of the challenge which faces its new young charge this season, but is also mindful that given the right environment and package, Barnard has the potential to thrive.
“We need to keep both his feet on the ground,” asserts James. “It's going to be tough out there, there's no doubt about it at the start of the season, and there's going to be a lot of eyeballs on him, a lot of pressure.
“Our job now is to remove that, give him the support that he needs and just give him the platform to show what he's capable of.”
