Taylor Barnard is taking the next step in his racing career by becoming a professional driver in Formula E with McLaren.
The British driver is moving to the all-electric series for the upcoming 2024-25 season after leaving Formula 2 and the road to F1.
Barnard showed blistering speed in Formula 4 and Formula Regional Middle East, challenging for titles and finishing second in both series.
Despite consistently being at the front of the field earlier in his junior career, he lacked raw speed and results when competing in FIA F3 and Formula 2.
Barnard is partnering with Sam Bird this season and told talkSPORT there is one special thing at McLaren that isn’t at other teams.
Taylor Barnard feels McLaren’s connection between F1, IndyCar and Formula E is unique
McLaren have been very successful in Formula 1 over their long history in that championship and have recently begun to compete in other series.
The British team bought a 75% stake in the Schmidt Peterson IndyCar team and turned the outfit into a contender for race wins.
Arrow McLaren are very competitive but haven’t yet won the Indy 500 or the championship, falling short of Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing.
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Formula E has been slightly more difficult since McLaren joined the championship ahead of the 2022-23 season with Rene Rast and Jake Hughes.
They have won just one race, which came through Bird at the Hyderabad ePrix last season, and McLaren have taken just two other podiums.
Barnard also feels McLaren’s wide reach in motorsport can be unique off-track through team bonding, such as playing golf.
He said: “I think it’s quite good as a team bonding thing. If you can get F1, IndyCar, and Formula E all on the course at the same time, it builds that connection between the three championships, which you don’t really see in other teams. It’s something that we’ve got quite special.”
Taylor Barnard isn’t the only rookie to be moving from Formula 2
Barnard struggled through the Formula 2 season this year, floundering in the midfield. He did score on victory at Monaco amid a brief upturn in form.
He will be joined in Formula E by Zane Maloney, who is also switching from Formula 2 and going to race for Lola.
Maloney has a link with Sauber, who were supportive of his Formula E move despite skipping the final two F2 rounds.
It may be challenging for both of them as the style of racing is different, and they are very inexperienced with energy management.