McLaren have unveiled their 2025 Formula E challenger as they look to build upon their seventh-place finish in the teams’ championship last year.
Their driver line-up consists of Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard – a blend of youth and experience that should be an advantage to the team.
Bird has plenty of experience in the all-electric series and should be able to help move the team in a better direction in his second season with them.
They even managed to enjoy a victory together at Sao Paulo last season, so watch out for similar antics at the season opener in December.
Zak Brown offers comment on ‘mega’ McLaren livery
Funnily enough, now that Bird and Barnard are teammates, it’s ironic to look back and see that the latter replaced the former after suffering a hand injury at Monaco last year.
Barnard stepped up to replace Jake Hughes who went to join Maserati, and now has an opportunity to display his talents across a whole season.
He became the first teenage driver in the series’ history at 19 years and 331 days and secured his first points not long after that in Berlin during the 2023-24 season.
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He couldn’t have a better mentor on the other side of the garage, with Bird linking up to form an all-British partnership for the Papaya outfit.
Speaking on X (formerly known as Twitter), McLaren CEO Zak Brown commented on the looks of the new car, which the team hopes will bring them some more luck this year.
“Mega to see the NEOM @mclarenfe Team unveil their new livery for Season 11,” Brown said. “I can’t wait to see it hit the track soon. Good luck, team!”
Preparations ramp up for the 2024-25 season
There’s just over one month before the start of the Formula E season in Sao Paulo, where McLaren have enjoyed success before.
They’ll be aiming to combine everything they have learned in their first two seasons of the series and apply it towards performing better this time around.
They started off strong last year, but the real challenge will be in finding consistency and sustaining that sort of run.
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Four days of testing between November 4 and 7 will allow them to prepare themselves for the rollercoaster ride of Season 11.
It’s the first time that Barnard will be able to go through all the motions and embed himself within a cockpit that he can call his for the year – which should help his performances on track.