Taylor Barnard

2020

Barnard made his car racing debut in 2020, competing in three rounds of the Italian F4 Championship for AKM Motorsport.^[14][15] With two points coming from the weekend at Monza, Barnard ended up 26th in the standings.

2021

For 2021, Barnard partnered up with BWR Motorsports, a team affiliated with his mentor Nico Rosberg, to compete in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship.^[16] However, following just three rounds, in which Barnard took a best result of fourth, the team was forced to miss two events, only returning for the season finale. Because of this, the Briton finished 17th in the championship, taking 17 points.^[17]

2022

Nevertheless, Barnard remained in Formula 4 the following year, driving for newly-formed team PHM Racing alongside Nikita Bedrin and Jonas Ried.^[18] He began the year by competing in the F4 UAE Championship in January, taking his and his team's first win in car racing at the Yas Marina Circuit.^[19][20] The rest of the campaign was plagued by reliability issues relating to the car, as Barnard ended up ninth overall.^[21]

Barnard's main campaign would lie in the Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 series, which he would once again contest with PHM.^[22][23] In the former, Barnard took one podium at Vallelunga Circuit and finished eighth in the standings, whilst in the latter, his campaign would be more successful.^[24] Having started out with two sixth places and a collision with teammate Ried at Spa-Francorchamps, the Briton experienced a more positive weekend in Hockenheim, taking a pair of podiums.^[25] Following more points finishes at Circuit Zandvoort, the event at the Nürburgring became a turning point for Barnard. After taking his first victory of the season in Race 1, owing to a five-second penalty to leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli for a jump start, Barnard fended off his Italian rival in Race 2, scoring another win.^[26][27] With championship leader Antonelli absent at the penultimate round at the Lausitzring, Barnard would capitalise, winning two races and finishing second in Race 1, in a weekend characterised by a number of battles with his teammate Bedrin.^[28][29] Despite this, Barnard would be unable to take the title, although another pair of podiums at the season finale, including a victory in the final race, meant that Barnard became the championship runner-up.^[30][31]

2023

During the opening months of 2023, Barnard competed in the inaugural Formula Regional Middle East Championship with PHM Racing.^[32] After taking two podium places in the opening round at Dubai Autodrome, he took his first race victory in the second round at Kuwait Motor Town.^[33] He originally finished the race in second position, but was promoted to the win after race winner Joshua Dufek was disqualified due to a technical infringement.^[34] A second win followed at the next round, also held in Kuwait, before he took three podium places in the penultimate round in Dubai.^[35][36]

Barnard went into the final round at Yas Marina Circuit with a chance of the championship title, but two disappointing finishes outside of the points in the first two races meant he ultimately finished as runner-up in the championship to Andrea Kimi Antonelli.^[37]

2024

Barnard competed in the championship again in the 2024 season with PHM AIX Racing,^[38][39] where he once again finished as the runner up. He finished the season with 176 points, which was 79 points behind champion Tuukka Taponen. Throughout the season, Barnard secured four pole positions and five race wins. During the first race of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit, Barnard took the season's first victory after starting from pole position.^[40] His second victory was inherited the next day during Race 3 after original race winner Martinius Stenshorne received a penalty.^[41] However, his titles hopes were hampered during the second round in the second Yas Marina round where he managed only one podium while Taponen won twice.^[42] Barnard's third win came following a pole position start and a close race with Taponen during the opening race of Round 3 at the Dubai Autodrome.^[43] During Round 4, Barnard managed to claim his fourth win after yet another narrow victory over Taponen.^[44] During the penultimate race in Round 5, Barnard secured his fifth win of the season and seventh overall win in the series.^[45]

2023–24: Debut as reserve driver

In October 2023, Barnard took part in pre-season testing for the 2023–24 season of Formula E with McLaren as part of a mandatory rookie test.^[73] He took part in the opening session of the test and finished in seventh place, just under half a second from the fastest time set by Mitch Evans. He also finished the session as the fastest rookie driver.^[74] In January 2024, Barnard was signed as McLaren's reserve and development driver for the season.^[75]

Barnard made his Formula E debut at the Monaco ePrix with McLaren from FP2 onwards to deputise Sam Bird, who suffered a hand injury from a crash in FP1.^[76] He qualified in 22nd and finished his debut race in 14th while becoming the youngest driver to start an ePrix at 19 years and 331 days.^[77][78][79] Barnard continued to deputise for Bird at the Berlin ePrix,^[80] where he finished Race 1 in tenth to score his first Formula E points while becoming the youngest point scorer.^[81][82] He ended the double-header weekend by finishing Race 2 in eighth.^[83][84]

2024–25: Record-breaking rookie season

After the departure of Jake Hughes to Maserati MSG at the end of the 2023–24 season, Barnard was promoted as a full time driver and partnered Sam Bird for the 2024–25 season.^[85]

Barnard qualified seventeenth at the season opening São Paulo ePrix and finished the race in third.^[86] In doing so, Barnard won his first podium in his maiden race as a full-time driver and became the youngest podium finisher at the age of 20 years and 189 days.^[87][88] He followed up with another podium finish by coming in third at Race 1 of the Jeddah ePrix.^[89] At Race 2, he scored his first pole position, becoming the youngest polesitter at the age of 20 years 259 days^[90] but failed to convert it to a win, finishing the race in second.^[91] Barnard secured two additional podiums, with third place finishes at Tokyo and Shanghai.^[92][93] He finished his first full time season in fourth in the Drivers' Championship, and departed from McLaren as the team exited from Formula E at the end of the season.^[94][95]