Taylor Barnard left the Jeddah E-Prix on an overwhelming high, two podiums and the youngest polesitter in FE history left him with a lot to be proud of.
However, the young Brit still sees areas across the weekend where he could’ve taken a podium to a win. Feeling as though he missed out at times.
He admitted he had ‘nothing to complain about’ but was still frustrated at times. Especially when it came to starting on pole in Race 2
Referring to Race 1, he said, “Starting from P4 a podium was always my hope, but you never know how the race is going to play out. It was the first PIT BOOST race as well. So to know that we’ve done the procedure that well as a team, I couldn’t be happier to be P3.”
The race was a true show of Barnard’s ability to stay calm and focused under pressure. Showing a maturity far beyond his years throughout the weekend.
Race 2 was an example of the pure talent of the Brit when he took pole and became the youngest driver in Formula E history to do so. However, perhaps it was his lack of experience that shone threw when Oliver Rowland managed to get ahead of the young McLaren driver.
He said, “Coming into this weekend I didn’t expect a podium, so to leave here with massive points for the team, I couldn’t be happier. I think I struggled a little bit for the first five laps – but two podiums, I’m so happy. Sometimes you have to be extra aggressive, but we also had to keep the podium and secure P2, and we did that.”
An impressive start to the season
In four races, Barnard has graced the podium an impressive three times. He currently sits in second in the standings just 17 points away from the lead.
Sam Bird, Barnard’s teammate, currently resides in 12th. This shows just how much of the current performance exhibited by the Brit is down to the NEOM McLaren’s speed, and how much is down to the Brit’s skill.
He has immediately shown the level of racing he brings to the series, with this acting as his first full-time season in FE. The bar being set is outstanding, with the Brit improving from race to race.
With Miami in April, Barnard will be hoping to continue with the momentum and hopefully turn the podiums into a win.
Looking forward to the next round he said, “I’m super happy. Hopefully, we can continue this momentum in the next race in Miami.”
