The McLaren team, which competes in the electric car racing world championship, has confirmed its line-up for next season: the new partner of the experienced Sam Bird will be the 20-year-old Briton Taylor Barnard.
Barnard was the team’s reserve driver, but made his Formula E debut this year, driving three races in Monaco and Berlin, replacing the injured Bird. Despite the fact that this need arose unexpectedly, with Taylor literally having to get behind the wheel at the last minute in Monaco, he finished 14th and earned points in both races of the Berlin leg, taking 10th and 8th places.
Incidentally, he was not yet 20 years old and became the youngest driver in Formula E history to finish in the top ten.
Taylor Barnard: “I am delighted to be racing for McLaren in Formula E for the 11th season. Last season I was reserve driver and during that time I learned a lot, and in Monaco and Berlin I put my knowledge into practice.
“I’m excited to race with Sam and I’m sure I can learn a lot from him. He’s one of the most experienced drivers in the championship and I hope we can earn a lot of points and multiple trophies for the team together.”
Barnard has been racing single-seaters since 2020, including two years ago when he became vice-champion of the German ADAC F4 series, and in 2023 he took 2nd place in the Middle East Formula Regional. That same year, Taylor made his debut in Formula 3 and took his first victory on the classic circuit at Spa.
In 2023, he combined performances in F2 as part of the AIX Racing team and collaboration with McLaren in Formula E.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
